Habitat: Hardhead
catfish are found mostly in the near-shore waters
of the Western Atlantic Ocean, around the southeast
coast of the United States, around the Florida Keys
and the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. They are also
found in brackish estuaries and river mouths where
the bottom is sandy or muddy, but only occasionally
enter freshwater. It tends to move from shallower
to deeper waters in the winter months. The species
is generally common to abundant within its range.
Description: The hardhead catfish
has four barbels under the chin, with two more at
the corners of the mouth. These barbels help the catfish
find crabs, fish, and shrimp in the muddy bays where
they live. The dorsal and pectoral fins each are supported
by a sharp, slime-covered, barbed spine. The dorsal
spine is normally erect when the fish is excited and
a tennis shoe or even a leather-soled shoe offers
little protection. The gafftopsail catfish looks similar
to the hardhead catfish, but its dorsal and pectoral
spines have a distinctive fleshy extension (like the
fore-and-aft topsail of a ship).
Southeastern
North America: United States and Mexico.
Type locality: (for Silurus felis)
Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. U.S.A.
Size:
60cm (24ins)
Temp:
20-27°c (67-81°f)
p.H.
7.0-8.5.
Reference:
www.inaturalist.org/ Marceniuk, Alexandre P.; Menezes, Naércio
A. (2007). "Systematics of the family
Ariidae (Ostariophysi, Siluriformes), with a redefinition
of the genera" Zootaxa 1416: 1–126.
Ariopsis
felis
Caught in the Gulf Shores, Gulf of Mexico Baldwin
County , Alabama 17thOct 2000
Ariopsis
felis
Stamp
Ariopsis
felis
Stamp
Ariopsis
felis Head view
Ariopsis
felis
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