Crucifix sea catfish

Crucifix sea catfish
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Ariidae
Genus: Sciades
Species:
S. proops
Binomial name
Sciades proops
(Valenciennes, 1840)
Synonyms[1]
  • Arius proops (Valenciennes, 1840)
  • Bagrus albicans Valenciennes, 1840
  • Bagrus proops Valenciennes, 1840
  • Hexanematichthys proops (Valenciennes, 1840)
  • Sciadeichthys proops (Valenciennes, 1840)

The crucifix sea catfish (Sciades proops) — also known as the Christfish, the crucifix/crucifex catfish, the crucifixfish, or the gillbacker,[2] — is a species of catfish in the family Ariidae.[3]

This fish was described by Achille Valenciennes in 1840, originally under the genus Bagrus.[1] It inhabits marine, brackish and freshwaters ranging from Brazil to Colombia. It reaches a maximum total length of 100 cm (39 in), more commonly reaching a TL of 50 cm (20 in). It reaches a maximum weight of 9 kg (20 lb). Its maximum known life expectancy is 4 years.[3]

The crucifix sea catfish spawns from October–May.[4] It is harvested by commercial fisheries, and its meat is marketed fresh.[3]

  1. ^ a b Synonyms of Sciades proops at www.fishbase.org.
  2. ^ Common names of Sciades proops at www.fishbase.org.
  3. ^ a b c Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Sciades proops". FishBase. July 2019 version.
  4. ^ Spawning for Sciades proops at www.fishbase.org.