| Bleekeriella | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Ariidae |
| Genus: | Bleekeriella Marceniuk, Oliveira & Ferraris, 2023 |
| Species: | B. leptaspis |
| Binomial name | |
| Bleekeriella leptaspis (Bleeker, 1862) | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Bleekeriella leptaspis, the triangular shield catfish, boofhead catfish, freshwater forked tailed catfish, salmon catfish, or lesser salmon catfish, [2] is a monospecific genus of catfish in the family Ariidae. [3] It was described by Pieter Bleeker in 1862, originally under the genus Hexanematichthys . [3] It inhabits marine, brackish and freshwaters in Australia and New Guinea, at a maximum known depth of 135 m (440 ft). It reaches a maximum standard length of 60 cm (24 in). [3]
The generic name honours Dutch ichthýologist Pieter Bleeker. [3] [4]
It is the only member of the monospecific genus Bleekeriella. [5]
The diet of the triangular shield catfish includes insects, mollusks, prawns, finfish and aquatic plants. [6] It is preyed upon by fish such as Scleropages jardinii and the Barramundi, and snakes in the species Acrochordus arafurae . [7]
The triangular shield catfish breeds between September and January. [3]
