SCOTCAT.COM

your internet guide to all things catfish

Plotosus papuensis Weber, 1910

Image contributors to this species:

ScotCat Sources:

Other Sources:

Relevant Information:

Description: Dorsal spines (total): 1; Dorsal soft rays (total): 4; Anal soft rays. Habitat: A rarely imported Plotosus which is found in turbid rivers and swampy lagoons and backwaters. Colouration: Two white lines on body. As with most of this genera they are highly venomous with the serrate spine of the first dorsal and each of the pectoral fins being somewhat dangerous. Although the total length of this catfish is stated as 55cm the local fishermen in the location areas state that they may reach 100cm TL. Etymology: The specific name papuensis: Named for the Papua Province and Papua New Guinea where the species is located.

Common Name:

Papuan eel-catfish

Synonyms:

None

Family:

Plotosidae

Distribution:

Asia and Oceania: Southern Papua (formerly Irian Jaya), New Guinea. Type locality: Lorentz-Fluss, New Guinea.

Size:

40.0cm. (14ins)

Temp:

24-26°C (75-79°F)

p.H.

8.0-8.5.

IUCN Red List

This species has only been recorded from a few localities in Papua New Guinea and in Papua Province, Indonesia, but it probably widespread in central-southern New Guinea. It is probably found in at least one protected area and it is therefore assessed as Least Concern. However, it faces a number of threats within its range including mining, over harvesting, invasive species and oil palm plantations, and further research is needed to determine the impact of these threats, (IUCN 2020).

Reference:

Allen, G.R., 1991. Field guide to the freshwater fishes of New Guinea. Publication, no. 9. 268 p. Christensen Research Institute, Madang, Papua New Guinea.
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.
Palmer-Newton, A. 2020. Plotosus papuensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020.

Family: Plotosidae Back to Ident-A-Cat Click on Thumbnails

Plotosus papuensis

Plotosus papuensis
Head view

If you would like to contribute to the monthly factsheets with an article, information or photos, please e-mail me. You will of course be credited for your work.

If you would like to donate any denomination of monies to the site just click the above link button. All proceeds will go to running the site and hopefully to keep it going for a few years yet.