Carlarius heudelotii

{{Short description|Species of fish}}

{{Speciesbox

| image =

| image_caption =

| taxon = Carlarius heudelotii

| authority = (Valenciennes, 1840)

| synonyms = *Bagrus goreensis Guichenot, 1858

  • Arius heudelotii Valenciennes, 1840
  • Tachysurus heudelotii (Valenciennes, 1840)
  • Arius mercatoris Poll, 1949
  • Tachysurus mercatoris (Poll, 1949)

}}

Carlarius heudelotii, the smoothmouth sea catfish, is a species of sea catfish.

Location

It occurs along the western coast of Africa from Mauritania to Gabon or Angola. While mostly a marine species occurring on the continental shelf, it has also been reported from the Niger basin and the Benoué and Gambia Rivers.

Biology

The smoothmouth sea catfish stays buried in the mud and feeds on invertebrates and occasionally leaves the bottom to feed on open prey. These fish have rays on their fins which are known to be very venomous and painful if a wound is inflicted. The female in this species bear large eggs.{{cite web|title=Carlarius heudelotii Details Smooth-mouth Sea Catfish|url=http://eol.org/pages/991417/details|publisher=Encyclopedia of Life|accessdate=22 December 2012}}

Size

The maximum published weight of the smoothmouth sea catfish is 8,500 g.

References

  • {{FishBase |genus= Carlarius|species= heudelotii| month = December| year = 2011}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q5014006}}

Category:Ariidae

Category:Fish of the Atlantic Ocean

Category:Fish of Africa

Category:Fish described in 1840

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