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Arius gigas Boulenger, 1911

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Description: Dorsal spines (total): 2; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7; Anal soft rays: 11 - 13. Body elongated and rounded; head broad and only slightly flattened above, snout rounded (slightly pointed in small specimens); mouth inferior; maxillary barbels just reaching to pectoral fin bases, mandibular ones being shorter; osseous head shield, fairly visible through the skin, coarsely rugose with a very slight median keel; occipital process moderately broad at base and truncated posteriorly. Base of supra-occipital process moderately wide. Predorsal plate rugose, crescent-shaped; premaxillary teeth villiform forming 2 plates meeting at midline; palatine teeth in 2 large subtriangular patches which are only slightly separated at midline; no gill-rakers on posterior face of the 1st and 2nd arches; total number of anterior gill-rakers on first arch 18 to 21, on second arch 18 to 20; dorsal and pectoral fins with a strong osseous, erectile spine with anterior rim granulose and posterior rim serrated; long dorsal fin spine preceded by a very short one; adipose fin well developed; caudal fin forked, upper lobe slightly elongated. Colouration: bluish grey on the upper part, lightening progressively towards belly which is white; distal rim of fins blackish. Reproduction: Males practise buccal incubation. Habitat: Found in large rivers and their estuaries. Remarks: The images depicted may or may not be this species.

Common Name:

Giant sea catfish

Synonyms:

Arius latiscutatus, Tachysurus gigas

Family:

Ariidae

Distribution:

Africa: Ouémé and Volta rivers, and greater part of the Niger River basin, including the Benue River downstream Gauthiot Falls.

Size:

150.0cm.TL (5ft 0ins)

Temp:

20-27°c (67-81°f)

p.H.

6.5-8.0.

Reference:

Marceniuk, Alexandre P.; Menezes, Naércio A. (2007). "Systematics of the family Ariidae (Ostariophysi, Siluriformes), with a redefinition of the genera" Zootaxa 1416: 1–126.
Schneider, W., 1990. FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Field guide to the commercial marine resources of the Gulf of Guinea. Prepared and published with the support of the FAO Regional Office for Africa. Rome: FAO. 268 p.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2019. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, ( 12/2019 ).

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

Arius gigas

Arius gigas
Albino

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