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SpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliamentSpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliament
EveryFish

Catfishes

Singhi, magur, pangas, wels and the Mekong giant catfish. 57 fish on EveryFish so far.

Catfishes, the order Siluriformes, are named for the whisker-like barbels around their mouths. There are more than 3,000 species, roughly one in ten of all fish, living on every continent except Antarctica, mostly in fresh water. Most have no scales; some are armoured in bony plates. Many have sharp, locking spines on their pectoral and dorsal fins, and some of those spines carry venom.

Giants and air-breathers

The Mekong giant catfish and the wels catfish of Europe are among the largest freshwater fish, and the goonch of Himalayan rivers can grow well over a metre. At the other end, many small catfish are kept in aquariums, and the candiru of the Amazon is a thin parasite of other fish. In South Asia, magur and singhi breathe air through organs above the gills and live in swamps, paddies and ponds where oxygen runs low. Bengali tradition holds them to be light food for the sick.

Farmed and eaten

The iridescent shark catfish, pangasius, is farmed in vast numbers in Vietnam's Mekong delta and in Andhra Pradesh, and sold worldwide as cheap white fillets. The channel catfish is the main farmed fish of the southern United States. The African catfish has been farmed widely but is invasive, and its farming is banned in India. Pabda, boal, tengra and pangas are popular catfish in Bengali kitchens.

Famous catfish fish

Mekong giant catfishCan weigh around 300 kgWels catfishEurope's largest freshwater fishChannel catfishThe main farmed fish of the US southAsian stinging catfishSinghi, the stinging catfishGoonch catfishThe goonch of Himalayan rivers

Still to be written: Iridescent shark, Clarias magur, Ompok pabda.

Further reading

WaterRivers and lakesEstuaries and mangrovesCoasts and shelvesCoral reefsOpen oceanDeep seaPolar and cold seasCaves and springsBetween sea and river
UseFood fishFarmedAquarium fishSport fishingCulture and faithVenomous or dangerousInvasiveScience and research
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest firstBy size
🇧🇷 Brazil and 4 moreRedtail catfish A large South American catfish known for its red tail and popularity in the aquarium trade.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreBigmouth buffalo A long-lived North American freshwater fish known for its terminal mouth and exceptional lifespan.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United StatesBrown bullhead A hardy North American catfish known for surviving poor water conditions.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1819 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreYellow bullhead A medium-sized North American catfish known for its bright yellow belly and scavenging habits.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1819 🇺🇸 United StatesBlack bullhead A small, hardy North American catfish that tolerates poor water conditions and feeds at night.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇺 AustraliaEel-tailed catfish Venomous freshwater catfish native to eastern AustraliaCatfish · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United StatesBlue catfish A large North American catfish known for its size and invasive spread in eastern US waters.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreFlathead catfish A large North American freshwater predator known for its broad head and carnivorous diet.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇭 Thailand and 2 moreGiant pangasius A large freshwater catfish from Southeast Asia, now critically endangered due to overfishing and habitat loss.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1931 🇺🇦 Ukraine and 4 moreWels catfish A large freshwater catfish native to Europe and Western Asia, known for its size and bottom-feeding habits.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreMekong giant catfish A massive freshwater fish native to the Mekong basin, now critically endangered.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 BrazilPiraíba A massive Amazonian catfish known for its long barbels and role as an apex predator.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreChannel catfish A widespread North American freshwater catfish, prized for food and sport.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1819 WorldGiant catfish Large estuarine catfish found across the Indo-Pacific.Catfish · Estuaries and mangroves · 1837 🇦🇫 Afghanistan and 4 moreGiant river-catfish Large bagrid catfish from South Asian riversCatfish · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreLong-whiskered catfish Large Asian catfish prized for food and sport.Catfish · Rivers and lakes

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The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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