Coral catfish

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Coral catfish
Striped coral catfish (Plotosus lineatus)

Striped coral catfish ( Plotosus lineatus )

Systematics
Overcohort : Clupeocephala
Cohort : Otomorpha
Sub-cohort : Ostariophysi
Otophysa
Order : Catfish (Siluriformes)
Family : Coral catfish
Scientific name
Plotosidae
Bleeker , 1858

The family of the coral catfish (Plotosidae) ( Gr .: plotos = flowing) or eel catfish consists of around forty species in ten genera that live in the Indian Ocean and in the West Pacific up to the Fiji Islands , in reefs and in adjacent brackish and fresh waters. More than half of the species live in the fresh waters of Australia and New Guinea .

features

Typical morphology of a coral catfish ( Tandanus tandanus )

The fish have an elongated body with an eel-like, pointed or rounded tail, which is surrounded by a fin border made up of second dorsal, caudal and anal fin that have grown together. The caudal fin is pointed or rounded. The first dorsal fin is short and has a spine. The genus Plotosus and a few others have venom glands in their spines in the first dorsal fin and pelvic fins that have already caused fatal injuries. An adipose fin is missing. The head is relatively small for catfish, the teeth are conical. There are also molar-like teeth in the lower jaw. The gill membranes are not grown together. The number of Branchiostegal rays is 7 to 14. With their mostly four pairs of barbels they look for their food on the ground. The swim bladder is without a bone capsule.

Known only from a freshwater source in South Australia, Neosilurus gloveri is the smallest species with a length of 8.4 centimeters. The largest species, Plotosus canius , reaches 1.5 meters and lives from the coast of India to New Guinea both in the sea and in the lower reaches of the rivers . Large species are fished commercially. Attempts are made to breed them in aquaculture .

Reproduction

Freshwater species maintain brood and build nests in the gravel bottom. Marine species spawn hidden. Their young form dense, spherical swarms that "roll" over the ground. The individual animals cannot be identified for a predatory fish and are protected.

Systematics

Cnidoglanis macrocephalus
Plotosus japonicus
Tauwels ( Tandanus tandanus )

literature

Web links

Commons : Plotosidae  - Collection of images, videos and audio files