Catfish are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia, the wels catfish of Eurasia, and the piraíba of South America, to detritivores, and even to a tiny parasitic species commonly called the candiru, Vandellia cirrhosa. Neither the armour-plated types nor the naked types have scales. Despite their name, not all catfish have prominent barbels or "whiskers". Members of the Siluriformes order are defined by features of the skull and swimbladder. Catfish are of considerable commercial importance; many of the larger species are farmed or fished for food. Many of the smaller species, particularly the genus Corydoras, are important in the aquarium hobby. Many catfish are nocturnal, but others are crepuscular or diurnal.
The Ictaluridae, sometimes called ictalurids, are a family of catfish native to North America, where they are an important food source and sometimes fished for sport. The family includes about 51 species, some commonly known as bullheads, madtoms, channel catfish, and blue catfish.
The Amblycipitidae are a family of catfishes, commonly known as torrent catfishes. It includes three genera, Amblyceps, Liobagrus, and Xiurenbagrus, and about 36 species.
Trichomycteridae is a family of catfishes commonly known as pencil catfishes or parasitic catfishes. This family includes the candiru fish, feared by some people for its alleged habit of entering into the urethra of humans. They are one of the few parasitic chordates. Another species is the life monsefuano which was important to the Moche culture and still an important part of Peruvian cuisine.
The Pimelodidae, commonly known as the long-whiskered catfishes, are a family of catfishes.
The wels catfish, also called sheatfish or just wels, is a large species of catfish native to wide areas of central, southern, and eastern Europe, in the basins of the Baltic, Black and Caspian Seas. It has been introduced to Western Europe as a prized sport fish and is now found from the United Kingdom east to Kazakhstan and China and south to Greece and Turkey.
The stream catfishes comprise the family Akysidae of catfishes.
The Ariidae or ariid catfish are a family of catfish that mainly live in marine waters with many freshwater and brackish water species. They are found worldwide in tropical to warm temperate zones. The family includes about 143 species.
Wallago is a genus of catfishes order Siluriformes of the family Siluridae, or sheatfish. They are found in rivers throughout southern and southeastern Asia. The only extant species of this genus is Wallago attu.
Wallago attu is a freshwater catfish of the family Siluridae, native to South and Southeast Asia. It is commonly known as helicopter catfish or wallago catfish. It has known by various names in different regions and languages, such as Borali (বৰালি) in Assamese, Tamil ஆத்துவாளை , Manipuri Sareng,Mizo:Thaichhawninu, the Odisha Balia (ବାଳିଆ), the Bengal Boal (বোয়াল), Vietnamese : Cá leo the Sylheti Gual or the Malaysian and Indonesian Tapah are also occasionally used in English. W. attu is found in large rivers and lakes in two geographically disconnected regions, with one population living over much of the Indian Subcontinent and the other in parts of Southeast Asia. The species can reach a maximum length of 2 m.
Kryptopterus is a genus of catfishes belonging to the family Siluridae. They are found in freshwater throughout Southeast Asia. The scientific name comes from Ancient Greek kryptós + ptéryx. It refers to the reduced or even entirely absent dorsal fin of these catfishes.
Kryptopterus cryptopterus is a species of catfish, the type species of the genus Kryptopterus. It can be distinguished from all its congeners, with the exception of the newly split Kryptopterus geminus, by the almost flat dorsal profile with no concavity behind the head. This species grows to a length of 14.6 centimetres (5.7 in) SL.
Silurus is a genus of catfishes native to Europe and Asia.
Ompok is a genus of fish in the family Siluridae found in lakes and large rivers throughout South and Southeast Asia.
Sheatfish may refer to the following catfish:
The Amur catfish, also known as the Japanese common catfish, is a species of catfish (sheatfish) in the family Siluridae. It is a large freshwater fish found in continental East Asia and Japan. It prefers slow-flowing rivers, lakes, and irrigation canals. Its appearance is typical of a large silurid catfish. Larval S. asotus specimens have three pairs of barbels, while adult fish have only two pairs ; the second pair of mandibular barbels degenerates. This species grows to 130 cm (51 in) in total length.
Proteocephalidae is a diverse family tapeworms with nearly 300 recognized species in 66 genera and 13 subfamilies, whose species are found in every continent. They are mainly parasites of siluriforms and other freshwater fishes, but also parasitize reptiles and amphibians. A typical proteocephalid life cycles include planktonic crustaceans, and small fish as intermediate hosts.
Wallagonia maculatus is a species of catfish in the family Siluridae endemic to Malaysia, where it is known only from Sabah in northern Borneo. This species grows up to a length of 100 centimetres (39 in) SL.
Wallagonia leerii, also known as the Great Tapah, helicopter catfish, and formerly the striped wallago catfish is a species of catfish native to Southeast Asia. Its habitat ranges from the river drainages of Thailand through the Malayan peninsula to the islands of Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia. It can grow up to 2 m in length and weigh up to 150 kg (330 lb). It has been used as food in Southeast Asia since ancient times. Overfishing for its prized meat has caused the population to significantly decrease. Furthermore, the breeding migration pattern of this fish is especially vulnerable to damming, which has also decreased the wild population significantly.
Wallagonia is a recently established genus of Silurid catfishes, containing 3 distinct species, all of whom are native to Southeast Asia:
