Flapnose sea catfish | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Siluriformes |
Family: | Ariidae |
Genus: | Sciades |
Species: | S. dowii
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Binomial name | |
Sciades dowii (Gill, 1863)
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Synonyms[1] | |
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The flapnose sea catfish (Sciades dowii), also known as the brown sea catfish,[2] is a species of catfish in the family Ariidae.[3] It was described by Theodore Gill in 1863, originally under the genus Leptarius.[1] It inhabits rivers and estuaries in Ecuador, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Peru. It dwells at a depth range of 0 to 15 m (0 to 49 ft).[4] It reaches a maximum total length of 90 cm (35 in), more commonly reaching a TL of 50 cm (20 in).[3]
The diet of the flapnose sea catfish includes small finfish, fish scales, and benthic invertebrates.[5] Due to a lack of known major threats to the species, it is currently ranked as Least Concern by the IUCN redlist. It has been harvested for its meat since Pre-Columbian times, and remains a commercially important foodfish to date.[4] It is marketed both fresh and dried-salted.[3]