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| fishes text index | photo index |
| Phylum Chordata > Subphylum Vertebrate > fishes > Order Siluriformes |
| Sea
catfishes Family Ariidae updated Aug 08
Where seen? These whiskery fishes usually leave for deeper waters at low tide. Sometimes, you might come across one trapped in a pool at low tide. Fishermen, however, often catch them when angling from jetties. Small juveniles were once seen in numbers on Chek Jawa among the seagrasses. What are sea catfishes? Sea catfishes belong to the Family Ariidae. According to FishBase: The family has 14 genera and 120 species. Most of the members of this family live in the sea. Only a few found in freshwater. They are found in tropical and subtropical waters. Features: To about 20-30cm long. The blunt snout usually has 3, rarely 2, pairs of 'whiskers’ (called barbels) around the mouth. There are bony plates on the head and near the dorsal fin. The tail fin is forked. These fishes have a venomous spine on the dorsal fin, and on each of the pectoral fins. These spines are used to protect themselves against predators, and not to catch prey. Their stings can be excruciating and long-lasting. So please don't handle any catfishes. All the fishes in this page are Hexanematichthys sagor previously known as Arius sagor. Thanks to Dr Ng Heok Hee for identifying them. Catfish babies: The males usually carry the relatively large eggs in his mouth until the eggs hatch. Sometimes mistaken for eel-tail catfishes. Eel-tail catfishes also have barbels but their tail fins are eel-like and not forked as in the sea catfishes. What do they eat? Adapted for hunting in murky waters for prawns, worms and other titbits hiding on or in the ground. The barbels around the catfish's mouth help find prey where visibility is poor. The barbels have taste buds to help sense food. They don't use their barbels to sting. Human uses: Some species are important commercial food fishes, sold fresh or salted. Status and threats: None of our sea catfishes are listed among the threatened animals of Singapore. However, like other creatures of the intertidal zone, they are affected by human activities such as reclamation and pollution. Over-collection can also have an impact on local populations. |
 This one was caught by a fisherman, Pulau Sekudu, May 04  Small ones are sometimes seen in large numbers on the shores. Chek Jawa, Jun 03  This big one was trapped in a rock pool. Chek Jawa, Jan 02 |
They have 'whiskers'. These don't sting. These are used
to find food in murky waters.| Unidentified
sea catfish #040509skdad0088 About 30cm long. Caught by a fisherman near the shore. Pulau Sekudu, May 04 |
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sea catfish #030608cjd0063 About 6cm long. Seen alone. Several seen among pools and seagrass at low tide, over a series of months, then not seen again. Chek Jawa, Jun 03 |
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| Unidentified
sea catfish #020101bcjd4293 About 20cm long. Seen alone, trapped in a rock pool at low tide. Chek Jawa, Jan 02 |
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| Family
Ariidae recorded for Singapore from Wee Y.C. and Peter K. L. Ng. 1994. A First Look at Biodiversity in Singapore. *from Lim, Kelvin K. P. & Jeffrey K. Y. Low, 1998. A Guide to the Common Marine Fishes of Singapore.
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Periplus Editions. 292 pp.|
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