African sea catfish

African sea catfish
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Ariidae
Genus: Arius
Species:
A. africanus
Binomial name
Arius africanus
Günther, 1867
Synonyms[2]
  • Arius falcarius africana Günther, 1867
  • Arius falcarius africanus Günther, 1867
  • Tachysurus africanus (Günther, 1867)

The African sea catfish (Arius africanus), also known as the marine catfish,[3] is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae.[4] It was described by Albert Günther in 1867.[5] It is found in tropical brackish and freshwater in Tanzania, Madagascar, and the Pangani River. It reaches a maximum standard length of 45 cm (18 in).[4]

The diet of the African sea catfish consists of small finfish and invertebrates.[6] It is of commercial interest to fisheries.[4]

References

  1. ^ Sparks, J.S. (2017). "Arius africanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T183165A1730998. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T183165A1730998.en. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  2. ^ Synonyms of Arius africanus at fishbase.org.
  3. ^ Common names of Arius africanus at www.fishbase.org.
  4. ^ a b c Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Arius africanus". FishBase. April 2016 version.
  5. ^ Playfair, R. L. and A. Günther (1867). The fishes of Zanzibar, with a list of the fishes of the whole east coast of Africa. London.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ^ Food items reported for Arius africanus at fishbase.org.