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he Ariidae family is not that well covered in online literature so I thought "why not" so I have hand picked a species that you would not keep in your home aquarium due to its adult size and migratory habits, The Pemecou sea catfish, Sciades herzbergii.

Sciades herzbergii - adult colouration

This species may be confused with Sciades couma, although it is much more frequent than S. couma. Adults occur in turbid estuaries, mangrove-lined lagoons and lower parts of rivers being very tolerant to changes in salinity. Found on shallow soft bottoms. Feed on a large variety of bottom-living and pelagic organisms including those found among the roots of mangroves.

This species is widely distributed and can be very common. It is a targeted species in artisanal fisheries, principally in the north and northeast of Brazil. It may be susceptible to habitat loss in mangrove, estuarine areas. At present neither habitat loss or fishing pressure is considered a major threat to this species. It is listed as Least Concern with a recommendation to monitor its fished population and study its life history. (The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015).

Sciades herzbergii commonly occurs in turbid estuaries, mangrove-lined lagoons and lower parts of rivers. It is very tolerant of changes in salinity, also occurring in hypersaline waters and occasionally shallow marine waters.

The spines of this species are poisonous and may inflict painful wounds that sometimes result in long-lasting effects.

Pemecou sea catfish

Arius herzbergii, Bagrus coelestinus, Bagrus mesops, Bagrus pemecus, Hexanematichthys herzbergii, Netuma dubia, Pimelodus argenteus, Selenaspis herzbergii, Silurus herzbergii

Arinae

South America: Caribbean and Atlantic draining rivers and estuaries from Colombia to Brazil: Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela. Habitat: Brackish, marine.

57.0cm TL (22½ins)

22-26°c (71-79°f)

7.0-8.0.

Presence of a furrow, partly covered by a flap of skin, extending across the snout between the posterior nostrils; snout long and rounded, mouth slightly inferior; supra-occipital process slightly keeled; usually 21-23 gill rakers on second arch, palatine teeth patch always with an U-form; medium sized species; soft rays in pectoral fins usually 10 or 11.

Grey colour to dark brown above, whitish below. All fins have a touch of red/pink.

Grows too large for the home aquarium.

Reproduction occurs between September and December. A female lays 20-30 eggs, with a diameter of 10-12 mm. Males incubate the eggs in their mouth. Females reach maturity at a younger age than males and grow faster. The male incubates 28-40 eggs in the mouth and 200-400 eggs that are fixed in a glutinous mass on its head. Incubation takes 10-12 days. After 50-60 days fully functional young (6-6.5 cm TL) are released.

Fishes, worms, pelagic micro-crustaceans, benthic shrimps and detritus.

Photo Credits

© Cecile de Souza Gama by  
© By The Photographer (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species