''Cathorops'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive ...

es in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Ariidae The Ariidae or ariid catfish are a family of catfish that mainly live in marine waters with many freshwater and brackish water species. They are found worldwide in tropical to warm temperate zones. The family includes about 143 species. Taxonomy ...

found in the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

and

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

s. These species are found in the eastern and western Central and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estu ...

and freshwater habitats.Marceniuk, A.P. & Menezes, N.A. (2007)
Systematics of the family Ariidae (Ostariophysi, Siluriformes), with a redefinition of the genera.
''Zootaxa, 1416: 1–126.'' This genus is a strongly supported clade of this family.Betancur-R., R. & Acero P., A. (2005)
Description of ''Cathorops mapale'', a new species of sea catfish (Siluriformes: Ariidae) from the Colombian Caribbean, based on morphological and mitochondrial evidence.
/ref> It consists of a natural group in which the

monophyly In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

is well-defined by morphological and molecular evidence and the genus probably includes several unrecognized species from both American coasts.Marceniuk, A.P. (2007)
Description of ''Cathorops manglarensis'', a new species from the Colombian Pacific, with redescription of ''Cathorops multiradiatus'' (Siluriformes; Ariidae).
''Zootaxa, 1529: 33–48.''

Species

There are currently 22 recognized species in this genus: * '' Cathorops agassizii'' ( C. H. Eigenmann & R. S. Eigenmann, 1888) * '' Cathorops aguadulce'' (

Meek Meekness is an attribute of human nature and behavior that has been defined as an amalgam of righteousness, inner humility, and patience. Meekness has been contrasted with humility alone insomuch as humility simply refers to an attitude towards o ...

, 1904) (Estuarine sea catfish) * '' Cathorops arenatus'' (

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, 1840) * '' Cathorops belizensis'' Marceniuk & Betancur-R., 2008 (Belizean sea catfish) * '' Cathorops dasycephalus'' ( Günther, 1864) (Big-belly sea catfish) * '' Cathorops festae'' ( Boulenger, 1898)Marceniuk, A.P., Marchena, J. & Betancur-R., R. (2016): ''Cathorops festae'' (Boulenger 1898) (Siluriformes; Ariidae), a valid species from Ecuador and Peru. ''Zootaxa, 4170 (1): 137–148.'' * '' Cathorops fuerthii'' ( Steindachner, 1876) (Congo sea catfish) * '' Cathorops higuchii'' Marceniuk & Betancur-R., 2008 (Higuchi's sea catfish) * '' Cathorops hypophthalmus'' ( Steindachner, 1876) (Gloomy sea catfish) * '' Cathorops kailolae'' Marceniuk & Betancur-R., 2008 (Kailola's sea catfish) * '' Cathorops liropus'' (

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, 1897) (Conguito sea catfish) * '' Cathorops manglarensis'' Marceniuk, 2007 * '' Cathorops mapale'' Betancur-R. & Acero P, 2005 (Mapalé sea catfish) * '' Cathorops melanopus'' ( Günther, 1864) (Dark sea catfish) * '' Cathorops multiradiatus'' ( Günther, 1864) (Box sea catfish) * '' Cathorops nuchalis'' ( Günther, 1864) (Orinoco sea catfish) * '' Cathorops raredonae'' Marceniuk, Betancur-R. & Acero P, 2009 (Raredon's sea catfish) * '' Cathorops spixii'' ( Agassiz, 1829) (Madamango sea catfish) * ''

Cathorops steindachneri ''Cathorops steindachneri'', or Steindachner's sea catfish, is a species of catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Charles Henry Gilbert and Edwin Chapin Starks in 1904. It is a tropical, marine and freshwater-dwelling catfish which ...

'' ( C. H. Gilbert & Starks, 1904) (Steindachner's sea catfish) * '' Cathorops taylori'' (

Hildebrand Hildebrand is a character from Germanic heroic legend. ''Hildebrand'' is the modern German form of the name: in Old High German it is ''Hiltibrant'' and in Old Norse ''Hildibrandr''. The word ''hild'' means "battle" and ''brand'' means "sword". ...

, 1925) (Taylor's sea catfish) * '' Cathorops tuyra'' (

, 1923) (Besudo sea catfish) * '' Cathorops wayuu'' Betancur-R., Acero P & Marceniuk, 2012 (Wayuu sea catfish)Marceniuk, A.P., Betancur-R., R., Acero P., A. & Muriel-Cunha, J. (2012): Review of the Genus ''Cathorops'' (Siluriformes: Ariidae) from the Caribbean and Atlantic South America, with Description of a New Species. ''Copeia, 2012 (1): 77–97.''

References

Ariidae Fish of Central America Fish of South America Vertebrates of Mexico Catfish genera Taxa named by David Starr Jordan Taxa named by Charles Henry Gilbert {{Ariidae-stub