African sea catfish

African sea catfish
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Division: Teleostei
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Ariidae
Genus: Arius
Species:
A. africanus
Binomial name
Arius africanus
Günther, 1867
Synonyms
  • 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, is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Albert Günther in 1867. 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).

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

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. 1 2 3 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.