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. There are armour-plated types and there are also naked types, neither having scales. Despite their name, not all catfish have prominent barbels. 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 walking catfish is a species of freshwater airbreathing catfish native to Southeast Asia. It is named for its ability to "walk" and wiggle across dry land, to find food or suitable environments. While it does not truly walk as most bipeds or quadrupeds do, it has the ability to use its pectoral fins to keep it upright as it makes a wiggling motion with snakelike movements. This fish normally lives in slow-moving and often stagnant waters in ponds, swamps, streams and rivers, flooded rice paddies or temporary pools which may dry up. When this happens, its "walking" skill allows the fish to move to other sources of water. Considerable taxonomic confusion surrounds this species and it has frequently been confused with other close relatives.
The channel catfish is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States, they are the most fished catfish species with around 8 million anglers targeting them per year. The popularity of channel catfish for food has contributed to the rapid expansion of aquaculture of this species in the United States.
The blue catfish is the largest species of North American catfish, reaching a length of 165 cm (65 in) and a weight of 68 kg (150 lb). The typical length is about 25–46 in (64–117 cm). The fish can live to 20 years. The native distribution of blue catfish is primarily in the Mississippi River drainage, including the Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Arkansas Rivers, and the Rio Grande, and south along the Gulf Coast to Belize and Guatemala. These large catfish have also been introduced in a number of reservoirs and rivers, notably the Santee Cooper lakes of Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie in South Carolina, the James River in Virginia, Powerton Lake in Pekin, Illinois, and Springfield Lake in Springfield, Illinois. This fish is also found in some lakes in Florida. The fish is considered an invasive pest in some areas, particularly the Chesapeake Bay. Blue catfish can tolerate brackish water, thus can colonize along inland waterways of coastal regions.
Basa is a species of catfish in the family Pangasiidae. Basa are native to the Mekong and Chao Phraya basins in Indochina. These fish are important food fish with an international market. They are often labelled in North America and Australia as "basa fish", "swai", or "bocourti". In the UK all species of Pangasius may legally be described as "river cobbler", "cobbler", "basa", "pangasius", "panga", or any of these with the addition of "catfish". In the rest of Europe, these fish are commonly marketed as "pangasius" or "panga". Other related shark catfish may occasionally be incorrectly labeled as basa fish, including P. hypophthalmus and P. pangasius.
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. Some regional designations, such as the Indian Sareng, the Bengal Boal, 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 total length of 1 m.
Sperata is a genus of bagrid catfishes.
Ameiurus is a genus of catfishes in the family Ictaluridae. It contains the three common types of bullhead catfish found in waters of the United States, the black bullhead, the brown bullhead, and the yellow bullhead, as well as other species, such as the white catfish, which are not typically called "bullheads".
The purple-throated sunbird, is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical mangrove forest of Maratua and the Philippines.
Sperata acicularis is a species of bagrid catfish endemic to Myanmar where it is found in the Irrawaddy, Bago, and Great Tenasserim River systems of Myanmar.
Sperata aor, the long-whiskered catfish, is a species of bagrid catfish found in southern Asia in the nations of Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar. It grows to a length of 180 centimetres (71 in) and is commercially fished for human consumption. It is also a popular gamefish.
Sperata seenghala, the Giant river-catfish, is a species of bagrid catfish. It is known locally as Guizza, Guizza ayer, Auri, Ari, Pogal, Singhara and Seenghala, among other names. It is found in southern Asia in the countries of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh with reports of occurrence in Thailand and Yunnan, China. It can reach a length of 150 cm, though lengths up to 40 cm are more usual. It is commercially fished for human consumption as well as being a popular gamefish with a reputation for being a good fighter when hooked. It is carnivorous in diet. It can be distinguished from other sperata species by its spatulate, blunt snout, relatively short barbels and mouth that is only 1/3 as wide as the head is long.
Acronicta sperata, the hopeful dagger moth, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found from New Brunswick west to the Alberta foothills, south to the District of Columbia, Missouri and in the mountains to Colorado.
Catfish is a 2010 American documentary film directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. It involves a young man, Nev, being filmed by his brother and friend, co-directors Ariel and Henry, as he builds a romantic relationship with a young woman on the social networking website Facebook. The film was a critical and commercial success. It led to an MTV reality TV series, Catfish: The TV Show. The film is credited with coining the term catfishing: a type of deceptive activity involving a person creating a fake social networking presence for nefarious purposes.
Ellipsoptera is a genus of beetles in the family Carabidae, containing the following species:
Catfish: The TV Show is an American reality-based documentary television series airing on MTV about the truths and lies of online dating. The series is based on the 2010 film Catfish and is co-hosted by Nev Schulman and Max Joseph. It premiered on November 12, 2012. The show has been renewed for season 7, which premiered on January 3, 2018. In May 2018, filming of season 7 was suspended due to sexual misconduct allegations brought against Schulman until the suspension was lifted after the report of sexual misconduct was found to be "not credible". It was announced that Joseph would leave the show after 7 seasons.
Catfish and the Bottlemen are a British indie rock band, formed in Llandudno in 2007. Their debut album, The Balcony, reached number 10 in the UK Albums Chart and achieved Platinum status on 30 December 2016. The band have toured in South America, Japan, UK, Europe, North America, and Australia and have featured in a number of festivals including Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, Latitude, Community festival, Reading and Leeds, T in the Park, Governors Ball and Bonnaroo. They won a Brit Award for British Breakthrough act on 24 February 2016. On 27 May 2016, they released their second album, The Ride. The Ride has sold 100,000 units in the UK since release.
Monochroa sperata is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It was described by Huemer and Karsholt in 2010. It is found in the south-western Alps of France and Italy.
Ellipsoptera sperata is a species of flashy tiger beetle in the family Carabidae. It is found in Central America and North America.
