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| fishes text index | photo index |
| Phylum Chordata > Subphylum Vertebrata > fishes |
| Eeltail
catfishes Family Plotosidae updated Aug 10
Where seen? These squirmy fishes that resemble eels are the only catfishes commonly seen in coral reefs and intertidal areas. They are sometimes abundant on many of our shores. Juveniles about 10cm long or smaller can be seen close to mid-water mark, while larger ones are often sighted hiding among seagrass or coral rubble in deeper waters. What are eeltail catfishes? Eeltail catfishes belong to the Family Plotosidae. According to FishBase: the family has 9 genera and 32 species. The marine species are found in the Indo-West Pacific Ocean. Most of the members of this family live in freshwater. Only a few are marine. 'Plotos' means 'to float' in Greek. Features: Juveniles from 5cm, adults to about 30cm. The body is long and cylindrical, flattening into an eel-like tail, i.e., the dorsal and anal fins are continuous with the tail fin. To swim, the fish undulates in an eel- or snake-like manner. Snout blunt with four pairs of 'whiskers’ (called barbels) all around the mouth. One pair on the snout in front of the eyes, one pair on each side of the mouth and two pairs below the mouth. It lack scales and has a smooth slimy skin. It makes up for this 'nakedness' with venomous spines on the dorsal fin and on each of the pectoral fins. These tough spines can be locked upright, thus making an eeltail catfish unpleasant for bigger fish to swallow. Catfishes use their venomous spines 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. Sometimes mistaken for sea catfishes. Sea catfishes are seldom encountered on the intertidal at low tide. Sea catfishes have barbels too but their tail fins are forked and not eel-like as in the eeltail catfishes. Eeltail catfishes are sometimes also mistaken for sea snakes or eels (Family Muraenidae). Here's more on how to tell apart sea snakes, eels and eel-like animals. What do they eat? Small ones eat tiny animals and algae. Adult eel-tail catfishes are adapted for hunting on the sea bottom in murky waters. Prey include crustaceans, molluscs, worms and sometimes fishes. 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. Catfish also have a keen sense of hearing and a strong sense of smell. Like other fishes, catfish smell with their 'noses' (nostril-like openings on the snout). Human uses: The Black eeltail catfish is fished for food and sport in some places. Striped eeltail catfishes are popular in the aquarium trade although they eat their tankmates, and even one another, as they get bigger. Status and threats: Our eeltail catfishes are not listed among the threatened animals of Singapore. But most striped eeltail catfishes sold in the aquarium trade are wild caught as there have been no large scale successes in captive breeding of these fishes. Like other fish and creatures harvested from the wild, most die before they can reach the retailers. Without professional care, most die soon after they are sold. Those that do survive are unlikely to breed. |
 'Whiskers' help it to find food in murky waters. Changi, Aug 05  Sentosa, Sep 04  Small ones may swim in tight groups. Kusu Island, Jun 04  Great billed heron caught an eeltail catfish! Chek Jawa, Jan 10 |
They lack scales and are sometimes mistaken for eels or
snakes.
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| Family
Plotosidae recorded for Singapore from Wee Y.C. and Peter K. L. Ng. 1994. A First Look at Biodiversity in Singapore. in red are those listed among the threatened animals of Singapore from Ng, P. K. L. & Y. C. Wee, 1994. The Singapore Red Data Book: Threatened Plants and Animals of Singapore.
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Links
References
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Periplus Editions. 292 pp.|
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