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Gareth Roocroft (3) Peter Southwood (1)

Description: Vertebrae: 51 - 52. This species is distinguished by the following characters: head longer than, or nearly as long as, broad; tooth patches are posterior to premaxillary band touch at midline; relatively long and thin maxillary barbel, extending at least to pectoral fin spine origin (longer in females); dorsal fin spine length more than 70% of its height; pectoral-fin spine at vertical extends at most to hind edge of dorsal fin base; deeply forked caudal fin with moderately slender, with pointed lobes, upper lobe longer; caudal peduncle approximately twice as long as deep; 11-14 gill-rakers on anterior face of first arch; upper two-thirds of body darkened, some lateral speckling and belly stark white; median anterior cranial fontanelle (of exposed skull) elongate and bullet-shaped; smooth and shallow median cranial depression, deepest posteriorly at frontal/supraoccipital suture. 10-12 pectoral fin rays; 51-52 (17 precaudal, 34-35 caudal) total vertebrae. Sexual Differences: Dimorphism of posterior (humeral) process of cleithrum obvious externally, in females, fan-shaped, in males triangular. Habitat: Generally found in large shoals on muddy bottoms in turbid waters, usually on the coastline and estuaries. Also found in rivers. Diet: Feeds on crayfish, small fish, and crabs. Etymology: The specific name feliceps: felis, cat; ceps, head, i.e., cathead, a variation on the term “catfish,” referring to cat-like whiskers (barbels) that give catfishes their name. Remarks: Considered a nuisance of shore and ski-boat anglers in southern Africa as little else is caught. Spines are poisonous and wounds should be treated immediately.

White Sea Catfish, White Barbel

Arius feliceps, Bagrus feliceps, Tachysurus feliceps, Pimelodus fossor, Bagrus capensis, Pimelodus peronii, Galeichthys ocellatus

Ariidae

Africa: Widely distributed in southern Africa; in freshwater, estuaries, and coastal environments. Type locality: Aux environs du Cap [South Africa].

55.0cm TL (22ins)

Subtropical 41°N - 28°S

Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2007. Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa 1418:1-628.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2011. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version.
Kulongowski, C., 2010. Revision of the ariid catfish genus Galeichthys Valenciennes (subfamily Galeichthyinae), with description of a new species from South Africa and designation of a neotype for G. ater Castelnau. Smithiania Bull. (12):9-23.
Seegers, L. 2008 The catfishes of Africa. A handbook for identification and maintenance. Aqualog Verlag A.C.S. GmbH, Germany. 604 p.
The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database © Christopher Scharpf.