''Amphiarius'' 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 n ...

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 worldwide in tropical to warm temperate zones. The family includes about 143 species. Taxon ...

es ( order Siluriformes) of 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. Taxonom ...

. It includes two

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

, the Kukwari sea catfish, ''A. phrygiatus'', and the softhead sea catfish, ''A. rugispinis''.

Taxonomy

''A. phrygiatus'' and ''A. rugispinis'' were both originally described by Achille Valenciennes in 1840 as '' Arius'' species, where they have been traditionally placed. They have also been classified in the genus ''

Notarius A notarius is a public secretary who is appointed by competent authority to draw up official or authentic documents (compare English "notary"). In the Roman Catholic Church there have been apostolic notaries and even episcopal notaries. Documents ...

''. Since then, it has been recognized that these two species form a natural,

monophyletic 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 ...

grouping and were suggested to represent a new, undescribed genus. The genus ''Amphiarius'' was finally erected for these two species in 2007.

Species

* ''

Amphiarius phrygiatus ''Amphiarius phrygiatus'', the Kukwari sea catfish, is a species of sea catfish which occurs in brackish estuaries with very low salinities, nearly entering freshwater, and is found on shallow muddy bottoms, ranging through Venezuela, Guyana, Suri ...

'' (

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 ...

, 1840) (Kukwari sea catfish) * ''

Amphiarius rugispinis ''Amphiarius rugispinis'', the softhead sea catfish, is a species of sea catfish which is found along the northern coast of South America. It is found chiefly in turbid waters of estuaries and around river mouths; it originates from brackish and m ...

'' (

, 1840) (Softhead sea catfish)

Distribution

''Amphiarius'' species are distributed in marine,

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

fresh water 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 incl ...

s of

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''no ...

and eastern

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 souther ...

Description

''Amphiarius'' are distinguished from all other ariids by the presence of accessory tooth plates that are small to moderate, roughly round, and laterally located.

Ecology

Like other ariid catfishes, ''Amphiarius'' species are

mouthbrooder Mouthbrooding, also known as oral incubation and buccal incubation, is the care given by some groups of animals to their offspring by holding them in the mouth of the parent for extended periods of time. Although mouthbrooding is performed by a va ...

Relationship to humans

Both species are caught and marketed for human consumption.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2748438 Ariidae Fish of Brazil Fish of French Guiana Fish of Guyana Fish of Suriname Fish of Trinidad and Tobago Fish of Venezuela Catfish genera