''Cathorops'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

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 Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Ariidae 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 continen ...

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 southe ...

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 estuari ...

and

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

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 A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

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 grou ...

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 ''Cathorops agassizii'' is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Carl H. and Rosa Smith Eigenmann in 1888, originally under the genus '' Tachisurus''.Eigenmann, C. H. and R. S. Eigenmann 1888 (18 July) ef. 1249''Pr ...

'' ( C. H. Eigenmann & R. S. Eigenmann, 1888) * ''

Cathorops aguadulce The estuarine sea catfish (''Cathorops aguadulce''), also known as the Aguadulce sea catfish, is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Seth Eugene Meek in 1904, originally under the genus ''Galeichthys''.Meek, S. E. ...

'' (

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 ''Cathorops arenatus'', the yellow sea catfish, is a species of sea catfish. It is found in the western Atlantic from the Gulf of Paria in Venezuela to Maranhão Maranhão () is a state in Brazil. Located in the country's Northeast Region, ...

'' (

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...

, 1840) * ''

Cathorops belizensis ''Cathorops belizensis'', the Belize sea catfish, is a species of sea catfish. It is found in mangrove channels in Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize and was once the capital of the former British Honduras. According to ...

'' Marceniuk & Betancur-R., 2008 (Belizean sea catfish) * ''

Cathorops dasycephalus ''Cathorops dasycephalus'', the big-belly sea catfish, is a species of sea catfish 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 worldwid ...

'' ( Günther, 1864) (Big-belly sea catfish) * ''

Cathorops festae ''Cathorops festae'' is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae.Marceniuk, A.P., Marchena, J. & Betancur-R., R. (2016): ''Cathorops festae'' (Boulenger 1898) (Siluriformes; Ariidae), a valid species from Ecuador and Peru. ''Zootaxa, 4170 ...

'' (

Boulenger Boulenger is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Benjamin Boulenger (born 1990), French footballer * Edward George Boulenger (1888–1946), British zoologist, director of aquarium at London Zoo * George Albert Boulenger (1858–1 ...

, 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 Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner describ ...

, 1876) (Congo sea catfish) * '' Cathorops higuchii'' Marceniuk & Betancur-R., 2008 (Higuchi's sea catfish) * ''

Cathorops hypophthalmus ''Cathorops hypophthalmus'', the gloomy sea catfish, is a species of sea catfish. It is found in coastal and estuarine waters of Costa Rica and Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, Repúbli ...

'' (

, 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 The Mapale sea catfish (''Cathorops mapale''), is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It is a tropical fish which is known from Colombia to west Venezuela, where it typically inhabits freshwaters, brackish, in coastal lagoons and near ...

'' 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 Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz ( ; ) FRS (For) FRSE (May 28, 1807 – December 14, 1873) was a Swiss-born American biologist and geologist who is recognized as a scholar of Earth's natural history. Spending his early life in Switzerland, he rec ...

, 1829) (Madamango sea catfish) * '' Cathorops steindachneri'' ( C. H. Gilbert & Starks, 1904) (Steindachner's sea catfish) * '' Cathorops taylori'' ( Hildebrand, 1925) (Taylor's sea catfish) * '' Cathorops tuyra'' (

& Hildebrand, 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