Catfish#Catfish as food

Molecular evidence suggests that in spite of the great morphological diversity in the order, all catfish form a monophyletic group.{{cite journal |last=Sullivan |first=JP |author2=Lundberg JG |author3=Hardman M |year=2006 |title=A phylogenetic analysis of the major groups of catfish (Teleostei: Siluriformes) using rag1 and rag2 nuclear gene sequences |journal=Mol Phylogenet Evol |volume=41 |issue=3 |pages=636–62 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2006.05.044 |pmid=16876440|bibcode=2006MolPE..41..636S }} Catfish belong to a superorder called the Ostariophysi, which also includes the Cypriniformes (carps and minnows), Characiformes (characins and tetras), Gonorynchiformes (milkfish and beaked salmons) and Gymnotiformes (South American knifefish), a superorder characterized by the Weberian apparatus. Some place Gymnotiformes as a sub-order of Siluriformes; however, this is not as widely accepted. Currently, the Siluriformes are said to be the sister group to the Gymnotiformes, though this has been debated due to more recent molecular evidence.{{cite book |last=Nelson |first=Joseph S. |title=Fishes of the World |title-link=Fishes of the World |publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-471-25031-9}} {{As of|2007}} there were about thirty-six extant catfish families, and about 3,093 extant species have been described.{{cite journal |last1=Ferraris |first1=Carl J. Jr. |last2=Miya |first2=M |last3=Azuma |first3=Y |last4=Nishida |first4=M |year=2007 |title=Checklist of catfish, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types |url=http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2007f/zt01418p300.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Zootaxa |volume=1418 |pages=1–628 |citeseerx=10.1.1.232.798 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.1418.1.1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080414082401/http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2007f/zt01418p300.pdf |archive-date=2008-04-14 |access-date=22 June 2009}} This makes the catfish order the second or third most diverse vertebrate order; in fact, one out of every twenty vertebrate species is a catfish.{{cite web |last=Lundberg |first=John G. |author2=Friel, John P. |date=20 January 2003 |title=Siluriformes |url=http://tolweb.org/tree?group=Siluriformes&contgroup=Ostariophysi |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070128012752/http://tolweb.org/tree?group=Siluriformes&contgroup=Ostariophysi |archive-date=28 January 2007 |access-date=18 April 2007 |publisher=Tree of Life Web Project}}

Catfish are believed to have a Gondwanan origin primarily centered around South America, as the most basal living catfish groups are known from there. The earliest known definitive members lived in the Americas from the Campanian to Maastrichtian stages of the Late Cretaceous, including the Andinichthyidae, Vorhisia vulpes and possibly Arius.{{Cite journal |last1=Stringer |first1=Gary |last2=Schwarzhans |first2=Werner |date=2021-09-01 |title=Upper Cretaceous teleostean otoliths from the Severn Formation (Maastrichtian) of Maryland, USA, with an unusual occurrence of Siluriformes and Beryciformes and the oldest Atlantic coast Gadiformes |journal=Cretaceous Research |volume=125 |pages=104867 |doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2021.104867 |issn=0195-6671|doi-access=free |bibcode=2021CrRes.12504867S }} A potential fossil record is known from the earlier Coniacian-Santonian stages in Niger of West Africa,{{cite book|author=Patterson, C.|year=1993|chapter=Osteichthyes: Teleostei|editor=Benton, M.J.|title=The Fossil Record 2|pages=621-656|publisher=Chapman & Hall|location=London}} though this has been considered unreliable,{{Citation |last=Cavin |first=Lionel |title=Evolutionary Histories of Freshwater Fishes |date=2017 |work=Freshwater Fishes: 250 Million Years of Evolutionary History |pages=53–125 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/b978-1-78548-138-3.50004-2 |access-date=2024-05-08 |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=978-1-78548-138-3}} and the putative earliest armored catfish known from the fossil record, Afrocascudo, lived during the Cenomanian age of the Late Cretaceous in Morocco of North Africa (Kem Kem Group). The describers of Afrocascudo claimed that the presence of a derived loricariid so early on would indicate the extensive diversification of catfish, or at least loricarioids, prior to the beginning of the Late Cretaceous. As extant loricariids are only known from South America, much of this diversification must have occurred on the supercontinent of West Gondwana prior to its fragmentation into South America and Africa. Britz and colleagues suggested that Afrocascudo instead represents a juvenile obaichthyid lepisosteiform, possibly a junior synonym of Obaichthys.{{cite journal|author1=Britz, R.|author2=Pinion, Amanda K.|author3=Kubicek, Kole M.|author4=Conway, Kevin W.|year=2024|title=Comment on “A Saharan fossil and the dawn of Neotropical armoured catfishes in Gondwana” by Brito et al|journal=Gondwana Research|doi=10.1016/j.gr.2024.06.014}} The authors of the original study still stood by their original conclusion based on the absence of important holostean characters, and noted that it could not be a juvenile, since the bones were completely ossified.{{cite journal|last1=Brito |first1=Paulo M. |last2=Dutheil |first2=Didier B. |last3=Keith |first3=Philippe |last4=Carnevale |first4=Giorgio |last5=Meunier |first5=François J. |last6=Khalloufi |first6=Bouziane |last7=Gueriau |first7=Pierre |year=2024|title=A reply to a comment on Brito et al., 2024, A Saharan fossil and the dawn of the Neotropical armoured catfishes in Gondwana by Britz, Pinion, Kubicek and Conway|journal=Gondwana Research|doi=10.1016/j.gr.2024.06.013}}

File:Blue catfish skeleton.jpg) skeleton on display at the Museum of Osteology.]]

The taxonomy of catfish is quickly changing. In a 2007 and 2008 paper, Horabagrus, Phreatobius, and Conorhynchos were not classified under any current catfish families. There is disagreement on the family status of certain groups; for example, Nelson (2006) lists Auchenoglanididae and Heteropneustidae as separate families, while the All Catfish Species Inventory (ACSI) includes them under other families. FishBase and the Integrated Taxonomic Information System lists Parakysidae as a separate family, while this group is included under Akysidae by both Nelson (2006) and ACSI.{{cite web |title=Catfish Families |url=http://silurus.acnatsci.org/ACSI/taxa/Families.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070502195241/http://silurus.acnatsci.org/ACSI/taxa/Families.html |archive-date=2 May 2007 |access-date=28 April 2007 |publisher=All Catfish Species Inventory}}{{FishBase family|family=Parakysidae|year=2007|month=April}}{{ITIS|id=553185|taxon=Parakysidae|access-date=10 September 2016}} Many sources do not list the recently revised family Anchariidae.{{cite journal |last=Ng |first=Heok Hee |author2=Sparks, John S. |year=2005 |title=Revision of the endemic Malagasy catfish family Anchariidae (Teleostei: Siluriformes), with descriptions of a new genus and three new species |url=http://www.pfeil-verlag.de/04biol/pdf/ief16_4_02.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=303–323 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215172203/http://www.pfeil-verlag.de/04biol/pdf/ief16_4_02.pdf |archive-date=2007-12-15}} The family Horabagridae, including Horabagrus, Pseudeutropius, and Platytropius, is not shown by some authors but presented by others as a true group. Thus, the actual number of families differs between authors. The species count is in constant flux due to taxonomic work as well as description of new species. Between 2003 and 2005, over one hundred species were named, a rate three times faster than that of the past century.{{cite journal |last=Ferraris |first=Carl J. Jr. |author2=Reis, Roberto E. |author-link2=Roberto Esser dos Reis |year=2005 |title=Neotropical catfish diversity: an historical perspective |journal=Neotropical Ichthyology |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=453–454 |doi=10.1590/S1679-62252005000400001 |doi-access=free}} In June 2005, researchers named the newest family of catfish, Lacantuniidae, only the third new family of fish distinguished in the last seventy years, the others being the coelacanth in 1938 and the megamouth shark in 1983. The new species in Lacantuniidae, Lacantunia enigmatica, was found in the Lacantun river in the Mexican state of Chiapas.{{cite journal |last=Rodiles-Hernández |first=Rocío |author2=Hendrickson, Dean A. |author3=Lundberg, John G. |author4=Humphries, Julian M. |year=2005 |title=Lacantunia enigmatica (Teleostei: Siluriformes) a new and phylogenetically puzzling freshwater fish from Mesoamerica |url=http://biostor.org/reference/15994 |url-status=live |journal=Zootaxa |volume=1000 |pages=1–24 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.1000.1.1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025015806/http://biostor.org/reference/15994 |archive-date=25 October 2012 |access-date=22 June 2009 |doi-access=free}}

The higher-level phylogeny of Siluriformes has gone through several recent changes, mainly due to molecular phylogenetic studies. While most studies, both morphological and molecular, agree that catfishes are arranged into three main lineages, the relationship among these lineages has been a contentious point in which these studies, performed for example by Rui Diogo, differ.{{Cite journal |last1=Arcila |first1=Dahiana |last2=Ortí |first2=Guillermo |last3=Vari |first3=Richard |last4=Armbruster |first4=Jonathan W. |last5=Stiassny |first5=Melanie L. J. |last6=Ko |first6=Kyung D. |last7=Sabaj |first7=Mark H. |last8=Lundberg |first8=John |last9=Revell |first9=Liam J. |date=2017-01-13 |title=Genome-wide interrogation advances resolution of recalcitrant groups in the tree of life |journal=Nature Ecology & Evolution |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=0020 |bibcode=2017NatEE...1...20A |doi=10.1038/s41559-016-0020 |pmid=28812610 |s2cid=16535732}}{{Cite journal |last1=Chen |first1=Wei-Jen |last2=Lavoué |first2=Sébastien |last3=Mayden |first3=Richard L. |date=2013-04-09 |title=Evolutionary Origin and Early Biogeography of Otophysan Fishes (Ostariophysi: Teleostei) |journal=Evolution |volume=67 |issue=8 |pages=2218–2239 |doi=10.1111/evo.12104 |pmid=23888847 |s2cid=40056087 |doi-access=free}}{{Cite journal |last1=Rivera-Rivera |first1=Carlos J. |last2=Montoya-Burgos |first2=Juan I. |date=October 2018 |title=Back to the roots: Reducing evolutionary rate heterogeneity among sequences gives support for the early morphological hypothesis of the root of Siluriformes (Teleostei: Ostariophysi) |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=127 |pages=272–279 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2018.06.004 |pmid=29885935 |s2cid=47014511 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2018MolPE.127..272R }}{{Cite journal |last=Diogo |first=Rui |date=2004-11-01 |title=Phylogeny, origin and biogeography of catfishes: support for a Pangean origin of 'modern teleosts' and reexamination of some Mesozoic Pangean connections between the Gondwanan and Laurasian supercontinents |journal=Animal Biologyn |volume=54 |issue=4 |pages=331–351 |doi=10.1163/1570756042729546}}{{Cite book |last=Rui. |first=Diogo |title=The origin of higher clades : osteology, myology, phylogeny and evolution of bony fishes and the rise of tetrapods |date=2007 |publisher=Science Publishers |isbn=9781578085590 |location=Enfield, NH |oclc=680560456}} The three main lineages in Siluriformes are the family Diplomystidae, the denticulate catfish suborder Loricarioidei (containing the Neotropical "suckermouth" catfishes), and the suborder Siluroidei, which contains the remaining families of the order. According to morphological data, Diplomystidae is usually considered to be the earliest branching catfish lineage and the sister group to the other two lineages, Loricarioidei and Siluroidei.{{Cite journal |last=Yang |first=Lei |date=April 2011 |title=GONORYNCHIFORMES AND OSTARIOPHYSAN RELATIONSHIPS: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW - Edited by T. Grande, F. J. Poyato-Ariza and R. Diogo |journal=Journal of Fish Biology |volume=78 |issue=4 |pages=1277–1278 |bibcode=2011JFBio..78.1277Y |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8649.2011.02907.x}} Molecular evidence usually contrasts with this hypothesis, and shows the suborder Loricarioidei as the earliest branching catfish lineage, and sister to a clade that includes the Diplomystidae and Siluroidei; this phylogeny has been obtained in numerous studies based on genetic data.{{Cite journal |last1=Nakatani |first1=Masanori |last2=Miya |first2=Masaki |last3=Mabuchi |first3=Kohji |last4=Saitoh |first4=Kenji |last5=Nishida |first5=Mutsumi |date=2011-06-22 |title=Evolutionary history of Otophysi (Teleostei), a major clade of the modern freshwater fishes: Pangaean origin and Mesozoic radiation |journal=BMC Evolutionary Biology |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=177 |bibcode=2011BMCEE..11..177N |doi=10.1186/1471-2148-11-177 |pmc=3141434 |pmid=21693066 |doi-access=free}} However, it has been suggested that these molecular results are errors as a result of long branch attraction, incorrectly placing Loricarioidei as the earliest-branching catfish lineage. When a data filtering method{{cite journal |last1=Rivera-Rivera |first1=Carlos J. |last2=Montoya-Burgos |first2=Juan I. |date=2019-08-13 |title=LSX: automated reduction of gene-specific lineage evolutionary rate heterogeneity for multi-gene phylogeny inference |journal=BMC Bioinformatics |publisher=Springer Science and Business Media LLC |volume=20 |issue=1 |page=420 |biorxiv=10.1101/220053 |doi=10.1186/s12859-019-3020-1 |pmc=6693147 |pmid=31409290 |doi-access=free}} was used to reduce lineage rate heterogeneity (the potential source of bias) on their dataset, a final phylogeny was recovered which showed the Diplomystidae are the earliest-branching catfish, followed by Loricarioidei and Siluroidei as sister lineages, providing both morphological and molecular support for Diplomystidae being the earliest branching catfish.

The following classification is based on Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes:{{Cite web |last=Fricke |first=R. |last2=Eschmeyer |first2=W. N. |last3=Van der Laan |first3=R. |date=2025 |title=ESCHMEYER'S CATALOG OF FISHES: CLASSIFICATION |url=https://www.calacademy.org/eschmeyers-catalog-of-fishes-classification |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=California Academy of Sciences |language=en}}

• Order Siluriformes
• Suborder Diplomystoidei
• Family Diplomystidae Eigenmann, 1890 (diplomystid catfishes)
• Suborder Cetopsoidei
• Family Cetopsidae Bleeker, 1858 (cetopsid catfishes)
• Suborder Loricarioidei
• Family Nematogenyidae Bleeker, 1862 (mountain catfishes)
• Family Trichomycteridae Bleeker, 1858 (pencil catfishes)
• Family Callichthyidae Bonaparte, 1835 (callichthyid armored catfishes)
• Family Loricariidae Rafinesque, 1815 (suckermouth armored catfishes)
• Family Scoloplacidae Bailey & Baskin, 1976 (spiny dwarf catfishes)
• Family Astroblepidae Bleeker, 1862 (climbing catfishes)
• Suborder Siluroidei
• Genus Conorhynchos Bleeker, 1858 (incertae sedis)
• Family Chacidae Bleeker, 1858 (squarehead or angler catfishes)
• Family Plotosidae Bleeker, 1858 (eeltail catfishes)
• Family Ritidae Bleeker, 1862 (velvet catfishes)
• Family Ailiidae Bleeker, 1858 (Asian schilbeids){{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Jing |last2=Lu |first2=Bin |last3=Zan |first3=Ruiguang |last4=Chai |first4=Jing |last5=Ma |first5=Wei |last6=Jin |first6=Wei |last7=Duan |first7=Rongyao |last8=Luo |first8=Jing |last9=Murphy |first9=Robert W. |last10=Xiao |first10=Heng |last11=Chen |first11=Ziming |year=2016 |title=Phylogenetic Relationships of Five Asian Schilbid Genera Including Clupisoma (Siluriformes: Schilbeidae) |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=e0145675 |bibcode=2016PLoSO..1145675W |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0145675 |pmc=4713424 |pmid=26751688 |doi-access=free}}
• Family Horabagridae Jayaram, 2006 (imperial catfishes)
• Family Bagridae Bleeker, 1858 (bagrid catfishes)
• Family Akysidae Gill, 1861 (stream catfishes)
• Family Amblycipitidae Day, 1873 (torrent catfishes)
• Family Sisoridae Bleeker, 1858 (sisorid catfishes)
• Family Pangasiidae Bleeker, 1858 (pangasid catfishes)
• Family Siluridae Rafinesque, 1815 (sheatfishes)
• Family Kryptoglanidae Britz, Kakkassery & Raghavan, 2014 (Indian cave catfishes)
• Family Aspredinidae Adams, 1854 (banjo catfishes)
• Family Auchenipteridae Bleeker, 1862 (intromittant catfishes)
• Family Doradidae Bleeker, 1858 (thorny catfishes)
• Family Heptapteridae Gill, 1861 (seven-finned catfishes)
• Family Phreatobiidae Reichel, 1927 (cistern catfishes)
• Family Pimelodidae Bonaparte, 1835 (long-whiskered catfishes)
• Family Pseudopimelodidae Fernández-Yépez & Antón, 1966 (bumblebee catfishes)
• Family Clariidae Bonaparte, 1845 (airbreathing or labyrinth catfishes)
• Family Heteropneustidae Hora, 1936 (airsac catfishes)
• Family Ariidae Bleeker, 1858 (sea catfishes)
• Family Anchariidae Glaw & Vences, 1994 (Malagasy catfishes)
• Family Austroglanididae Mo, 1991 (rock catlets)
• Family Cranoglanididae Myers, 1931 (armorhead catfishes)
• Family Ictaluridae Gill, 1861 (North American freshwater catfishes)
• Family Lacantuniidae Rodiles-Hernández, Hendrickson & Lundberg, 2005 (Chiapas catfishes)
• Family Amphiliidae Regan, 1911 (loach catfishes)
• Family Malapteruridae Bleeker, 1858 (electric catfishes)
• Family Mochokidae Regan, 1912 (squeakers and upside-down catfishes)
• Family Auchenoglanididae Jayaram, 1966 (flatnose catfishes)
• Family Claroteidae Bleeker, 1862 (grunter catfishes)
• Family Schilbeidae Bleeker, 1858 (schilbeid catfishes)

• Order Siluriformes
• Family †Andinichthyidae (Late Cretaceous to Paleogene of South America){{Cite journal |author1=Sergio Bogan |author2=Federico L. Agnolin |author3=Agustín Scanferla |year=2018 |title=A new Andinichthyidae catfish (Ostariophysi, Siluriformes) from the Paleogene of northwestern Argentina |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=38 |issue=3 |pages=e1449117 |bibcode=2018JVPal..38E9117B |doi=10.1080/02724634.2018.1449117 |s2cid=89841371 |hdl-access=free |hdl=11336/91672}}
• Suborder Diplomystoidei
• Family †Bachmanniidae (Eocene of Argentina){{Cite journal |last1=Azpelicueta |first1=María De Las Mercedes |last2=Cione |first2=Alberto Luis |date=2011-03-17 |title=Redescription of the Eocene catfish Bachmannia chubutensis (Teleostei: Bachmanniidae) of southern South America |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2011.550351 |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |language=en |volume=31 |issue=2 |pages=258–269 |bibcode=2011JVPal..31..258A |doi=10.1080/02724634.2011.550351 |issn=0272-4634}}
• Suborder Siluroidei
• Family †Astephidae (Paleocene to Oligocene of North America){{Cite journal |last=Grande |first=Lance |last2=and Lundberg |first2=John G. |date=1988-06-22 |title=Revision and redescription of the genus Astephus (Siluriformes: Ictaluridae) with a discussion of its phylogenetic relationships |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.1988.10011694 |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=139–171 |doi=10.1080/02724634.1988.10011694 |issn=0272-4634}}
• Family †Hypsidoridae (Eocene of North America){{cite journal |last1=Lundberg |first1=John G. |last2=Case |first2=Gerard R. |date=1970 |title=A New Catfish from the Eocene Green River Formation, Wyoming |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1302580 |journal=Journal of Paleontology |volume=44 |issue=3 |page=452 |issn=0022-3360 |jstor=1302580}}

Below is a list of family relationships by different authors. Lacantuniidae is included in the Sullivan scheme based on recent evidence that places it sister to Claroteidae.{{cite journal |last=Lundberg |first=John G. |author2=Sullivan, John P. |author3=Rodiles-Hernández, Rocío |author4=Hendrickson, Dean A. |year=2007 |title=Discovery of African roots for the Mesoamerican Chiapas catfish, Lacantunia enigmatica, requires an ancient intercontinental passage |url=https://webspace.utexas.edu/deanhend/www/pdfs/Lundberg_2007_African_roots_Lacantunia.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia |volume=156 |pages=39–53 |doi=10.1635/0097-3157(2007)156[39:DOARFT]2.0.CO;2 |s2cid=4171034 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326130159/https://webspace.utexas.edu/deanhend/www/pdfs/Lundberg_2007_African_roots_Lacantunia.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2009 |access-date=22 June 2009}}

|}

Phylogeny of living Siluriformes based on 2017{{cite journal |last=Betancur-Rodriguez |first=Ricardo |author2=Edward O. Wiley |author3=Gloria Arratia |author4=Arturo Acero |author5=Nicolas Bailly |author6=Masaki Miya |author7=Guillaume Lecointre |author8=Guillermo Ortí |year=2017 |title=Phylogenetic classification of bony fishes |journal=BMC Evolutionary Biology |edition=4 |volume=17 |issue=162 |pages=162 |bibcode=2017BMCEE..17..162B |doi=10.1186/s12862-017-0958-3 |pmc=5501477 |pmid=28683774 |doi-access=free}} and extinct families based on Nelson, Grande & Wilson 2016.{{cite book |last=Nelson |first=Joseph S. |title=Fishes of the World |author2=Terry C. Grande |author3=Mark V. H. Wilson |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |year=2016 |isbn=9781118342336 |edition=5}}

{{clade| style=font-size:100%;line-height:80%

|label1=Siluriformes

|1={{clade

|1=†Andinichthyidae

|2={{clade

|label1=Loricaroidei

|1={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Nematogenyidae 70 px

|2=Trichomycteridae 70 px

}}

|2={{clade

|1=Callichthyidae 70 px

|2={{clade

|1=Astroblepidae 70 px

|2=Loricariidae 70 px

}}

}}

}}

|2={{clade

|label1=Diplomystoidei

|1={{clade

|1=Diplomystidae

|2=†Bachmanniidae

}}

|label2=Siluroidei

|2={{clade

|label1=Hypsidoroidea

|1=†Hypsidoridae

|2={{clade

|label1=Cetopsoidea

|1=Cetopsidae 70 px

|2={{clade

|label1=Siluroidea

|1=Siluridae 70 px

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1={{clade

|label1=Arioidea

|1=Pangasiidae

|label2=Big African
catfishes

|2={{clade

|1=Mochokidae 70 px

|2=Claroteidae

}}

}}

|2={{clade

|label1=Ictaluroidea

|1={{clade

|1=Plotosidae

|2=Ictaluridae 70 px }}

|2={{clade

|label1=Clarioidea

|1=Clariidae 70 px

|label2=Sisoroidea

|2={{clade

|1=Ailiidae

|2={{clade

|1=Sisoridae 70 px

|2=Bagridae 70 px

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

|2={{clade

|label1=Doradoidea

|1={{clade

|1=Aspredinidae

|2={{clade

|1=Doradidae 70 px

|2=Auchenipteridae 70 px

}}

}}

|label2=Pimelodoidea

|2={{clade

|1=Heptapteridae 70 px

|2={{clade

|1=Pseudopimelodidae 70 px

|2=Pimelodidae 70 px

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

Extant catfish species live inland or in coastal waters of every continent except Antarctica. Catfish have inhabited all continents at one time or another. They are most diverse in tropical South America, Asia, and Africa, with one family native to North America and one family in Europe. More than half of all catfish species live in the Americas. They are the only ostariophysans that have entered freshwater habitats in Madagascar, Australia, and New Guinea.{{cite journal|title=Alternative life-history strategies of catfishes|last=Bruton|first=Michael N.|journal=Aquat. Living Resour.|year=1996|volume=9|pages=35–41|doi=10.1051/alr:1996040|s2cid=85428351 |doi-access=free}}

They are found in fresh water/brackish water environments, though most inhabit shallow, running water. Representatives of at least eight families are hypogean (live underground) with three families that are also troglobitic (inhabiting caves).{{cite journal|title=Morphological Adaptations of the Texas Blind Catfishes Trogloglanis pattersoni and Satan eurystomus (Siluriformes: Ictaluridae) to Their Underground Environment|first=Thomas G.|last=Langecker|author2=Longley, Glenn|journal=Copeia|year=1993|pages=976–986|doi=10.2307/1447075|volume=1993|issue=4|jstor=1447075}}{{cite journal|title=Mexican blindcats genus Prietella (Siluriformes: Ictaluridae): an overview of recent explorations|first=Dean A.|last=Hendrickson|author2=Krejca, Jean K. |author3=Martinez, Juan Manuel Rodríguez |journal=Environmental Biology of Fishes|volume=62|pages=315–337|year=2001|issue=1–3|doi=10.1023/A:1011808805094|bibcode=2001EnvBF..62..315H |s2cid=19962442}} One such species is Phreatobius cisternarum, known to live underground in phreatic habitats.{{FishBase|genus=Phreatobius|species=cisternarum|year=2007|month=Apr}} Numerous species from the families Ariidae and Plotosidae, and a few species from among the Aspredinidae and Bagridae, are found in salt water.Monks N. (editor): Brackish Water Fishes, TFH 2006, {{ISBN|0-7938-0564-3}}Schäfer F: Brackish Water Fishes, Aqualog 2005, {{ISBN|3-936027-82-X}}

In the Southern United States, catfish species may be known by a variety of slang names, such as "mud cat", "polliwogs", or "chuckleheads".{{cite web| url = http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_br_t3200_0236.pdf| title = Texas Dept. Wildlife| access-date = 3 January 2012| archive-date = 21 February 2012| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120221021704/https://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_br_t3200_0236.pdf| url-status = live}} These nicknames are not standardized, so one area may call a bullhead catfish by the nickname "chucklehead", while in another state or region, that nickname refers to the blue catfish.{{Cite web |title=Catfish |url=https://www.friendsofwoodlandpark.org/catfish |access-date=2023-06-14 |website=Friends of Woodland Park |language=en-US |archive-date=14 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614015117/https://www.friendsofwoodlandpark.org/catfish |url-status=live }}

Representatives of the genus Ictalurus have been introduced into European waters in the hope of obtaining a sporting and food resource, but the European stock of American catfishes has not achieved the dimensions of these fish in their native waters and have only increased the ecological pressure on native European fauna. Walking catfish have also been introduced in the freshwater areas of Florida, with the voracious catfish becoming a major alien pest there. Flathead catfish, Pylodictis olivaris, is also a North American pest on Atlantic slope drainages. Pterygoplichthys species, released by aquarium fishkeepers, have also established feral populations in many warm waters around the world.{{cite journal|title=The South American Suckermouth Armored Catfish, Pterygoplichthys anisitsi (Pisces: Loricaridae), in Texas, with Comments on Foreign Fish Introductions in the American Southwest|first=Leo G.|last=Nico|author2=Martin, R. Trent|journal=The Southwestern Naturalist|volume=46|issue=1|year=2001|pages=98–104|doi=10.2307/3672381|jstor=3672381}}{{cite journal|title=Amazon Sailfin Catfish, Pterygoplichthys pardalis (Castelnau, 1855) (Loricariidae), Another Exotic Species Established in Southeastern Mexico|first=Armando T.|last=Wakida-Kusunokia|author2=Ruiz-Carusb, Ramon |author3=Amador-del-Angelc, Enrique |journal=The Southwestern Naturalist|pages=141–144|volume=52|issue=1|doi=10.1894/0038-4909(2007)52[141:ASCPPC]2.0.CO;2|year=2007|s2cid=86847378 }}{{cite journal|url=http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2006f/zt01109p068.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061031235535/http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2006f/zt01109p068.pdf |archive-date=2006-10-31 |url-status=live|title=New Philippine record of South American sailfin catfishes (Pisces: Loricariidae)|first=Joel M.|last=Chavez|author2=de la Paz, Reynaldo M.|author3= Manohar, Surya Krishna|author4= Pagulayan, Roberto C.|author5= Carandang Vi, Jose R.|journal=Zootaxa|volume=1109|pages=57–68|year=2006|access-date=22 June 2009|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.1109.1.6}}{{cite journal|url=http://academic.uprm.edu/publications/cjs/VOL30/P090-094.PDF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304213101/http://academic.uprm.edu/publications/cjs/VOL30/P090-094.PDF|archive-date=4 March 2009|title=The South American Sailfin Armored Catfish, Liposarcus multiradiatus (Hancock), a New Exotic Established in Puerto Rican Fresh Waters|first=Lucy|last=Bunkley-Williams|author2=Williams, Ernest H. Jr.|author3= Lilystrom, Craig G.|author4= Corujo-Flores, Iris|author5= Zerbi, Alfonso J.|author6= Aliaume, Catherine|author7= Churchill, Timothy N.|journal=Caribbean Journal of Science|volume=30|issue=1–2|pages=90–94|year=1994|access-date=22 June 2009}}{{cite journal|url=http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/44.2/252.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060506010509/http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/44.2/252.pdf |archive-date=2006-05-06 |url-status=live|journal=Zoological Studies|volume=44|issue=2|pages=252–259|year=2005|title=Size Structure, Reproductive Phenology, and Sex Ratio of an Exotic Armored Catfish (Liposarcus multiradiatus) in the Kaoping River of Southern Taiwan|first=Shih-Hsiung|last=Liang|author2=Wu, Hsiao-Ping |author3=Shieh, Bao-Sen |access-date=22 June 2009}}

Most catfish are bottom feeders. In general, they are negatively buoyant, which means that they usually sink rather than float due to a reduced gas bladder and a heavy, bony head. Catfish have a variety of body shapes, though most have a cylindrical body with a flattened ventrum to allow for benthic feeding.

A flattened head allows for digging through the substrate, as well as perhaps serving as a hydrofoil. Some have a mouth that can expand to a large size and contains no incisiform teeth; catfish generally feed through suction or gulping rather than biting and cutting prey. Some families, though, notably the Loricariidae and Astroblepidae, have a suckermouth that allows them to fasten themselves to objects in fast-moving water. Catfish also have a maxilla reduced to a support for barbels; this means that they are unable to protrude their mouths as other fish such as carp.

File:Channelcat.jpg has four pairs of barbels.]]

Catfish may have up to four pairs of barbels - nasal, maxillary (on each side of mouth), and two pairs of chin barbels, though pairs of barbels may be absent depending on the species. Catfish barbels always occur in pairs. Many larger catfish also have chemoreceptors across their entire bodies, which means they "taste" anything they touch and "smell" any chemicals in the water. "In catfish, gustation plays a primary role in the orientation and location of food".Atema, Jelle (1980) [https://books.google.com/books?id=TZbRp0z5-p0C&pg=PA57 "Chemical senses, chemical signals, and feeding behavior in fishes"] pp. 57–101. In: Bardach, JE Fish behavior and its use in the capture and culture of fishes, The WorldFish Center, {{ISBN|978-971-02-0003-0}}. Because their barbels and chemoreception are more important in detecting food, the eyes on catfish are generally small. Like other ostariophysans, they are characterized by the presence of a Weberian apparatus. Their well-developed Weberian apparatus and reduced gas bladder allow for improved hearing and sound production.

Catfish do not have scales; their bodies are often naked. In some species, their mucus-covered skin is used in cutaneous respiration, where the fish breathes through its skin. In some catfish, the skin is covered in bony plates called scutes; some form of body armor appears in various ways within the order. In loricarioids and in the Asian genus Sisor, the armor is primarily made up of one or more rows of free dermal plates. Similar plates are found in large specimens of Lithodoras. These plates may be supported by vertebral processes, as in scoloplacids and in Sisor, but the processes never fuse to the plates or form any external armor. By contrast, in the subfamily Doumeinae (family Amphiliidae) and in hoplomyzontines (Aspredinidae), the armor is formed solely by expanded vertebral processes that form plates. Finally, the lateral armor of doradids, Sisor, and hoplomyzontines consists of hypertrophied lateral line ossicles with dorsal and ventral lamina.{{cite journal|author1=Friel, J P |author2=Lundberg, J G |year=1996|title=Micromyzon akamai, gen. et sp. nov., a small and eyeless banjo catfish (Siluriformes: Aspredinidae) from the river channels of the lower Amazon basin|journal=Copeia|issue=3|pages=641–648|jstor=1447528|volume=1996|doi=10.2307/1447528}}

All catfish other than members of the Malapteruridae (electric catfish), possess a strong, hollow, bony, leading spine-like ray on their dorsal and pectoral fins. As a defense, these spines may be locked into place so that they stick outwards, enabling them to inflict severe wounds. In numerous catfish species, these fin rays can be used to deliver a stinging protein if the fish is irritated;{{cite web| url = http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/channel_catfish.htm| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060603225626/http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/channel_catfish.htm| archive-date = 3 June 2006|title=Channel Catfish |access-date=2 December 2006|publisher=Fairfax County Public Schools}} as many as half of all catfish species may be venomous in this fashion, making the Siluriformes overwhelmingly the vertebrate order with the largest number of venomous species.{{cite journal |last1=Wright |first1=Jeremy J |title=Diversity, phylogenetic distribution, and origins of venomous catfishes |journal=BMC Evolutionary Biology |date=4 December 2009 |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=282 |doi=10.1186/1471-2148-9-282 |pmid=19961571 |pmc=2791775 |bibcode=2009BMCEE...9..282W |doi-access=free }} This venom is produced by glandular cells in the epidermal tissue covering the spines. In members of the family Plotosidae and of the genus Heteropneustes, this protein is so strong it may hospitalize humans who receive a sting; in Plotosus lineatus, the stings can be lethal. The dorsal- and pectoral-fin spines are two of the most conspicuous features of siluriforms, and differ from those in other fish groups.{{cite journal|author1=Ballen, Gustavo A.|author2=De Pinna, Mario C. C.|title=A standardized terminology of spines in the order Siluriformes (Actinopterygii: Ostariophysi)|year=2022|journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society|volume=194|issue=2|pages=601–625|doi=10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab008|url=https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab008|access-date=10 February 2022|archive-date=23 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923095540/https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article/194/2/601/6191677|url-status=live}} Despite the widespread use of the spines for taxonomic and phylogenetic studies the fields have struggled to effectively use the information due to a lack of consistency in the nomenclature, with a general standard for the descriptive anatomy of catfish spines proposed in 2022 to try and resolve this problem.

Juvenile catfish, like most fish, have relatively large heads, eyes, and posterior median fins in comparison to larger, more mature individuals. These juveniles can be readily placed in their families, particularly those with highly derived fin or body shapes; in some cases, identification of the genus is possible. As far as known for most catfish, features that are often characteristic of species, such as mouth and fin positions, fin shapes, and barbel lengths, show little difference between juveniles and adults. For many species, pigmentation pattern is also similar in juveniles and adults. Thus, juvenile catfish generally resemble and develop smoothly into their adult form without distinct juvenile specializations. Exceptions to this are the ariid catfish, where the young retain yolk sacs late into juvenile stages, and many pimelodids, which may have elongated barbels and fin filaments or coloration patterns.{{cite journal|title=First description of small juveniles of the primitive catfish Diplomystes (Siluriformes: Diplomystidae)|first=John G.|last=Lundberg|author2=Berra, Tim M.|author3=Friel, John P.|journal=Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters|volume=15|issue=1|pages=71–82|year=2004|url=https://mansfield.osu.edu/assets/mansfield/tberra/pdf/Diplomystes.pdf|access-date=27 March 2023|archive-date=11 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211152811/https://mansfield.osu.edu/assets/mansfield/tberra/pdf/Diplomystes.pdf|url-status=live}}

Sexual dimorphism is reported in about half of all families of catfish.{{cite journal|url=http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2006f/zt01125p056.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061031234339/http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2006f/zt01125p056.pdf |archive-date=2006-10-31 |url-status=live|title=Synodontis acanthoperca, a new species from the Ogôoué River system, Gabon with comments on spiny ornamentation and sexual dimorphism in mochokid catfishes (Siluriformes: Mochokidae)|first=John P.|last=Friel|author2=Vigliotta, Thomas R.|journal=Zootaxa|volume=1125|pages=45–56|year=2006|access-date=22 June 2009|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.1125.1.3}} The modification of the anal fin into an intromittent organ (in internal fertilizers) as well as accessory structures of the reproductive apparatus (in both internal and external fertilizers) have been described in species belonging to 11 different families.{{cite journal|title=Variation of male reproductive apparatus in relation to fertilization modalities in the catfish families Auchenipteridae and Callichthyidae (Teleostei: Siluriformes)|first=C.|last=Mazzoldi|author2=Lorenzi, V. |author3=Rasotto, M. B. |journal=Journal of Fish Biology|year=2007|volume=70|issue=1 |pages=243–256|doi=10.1111/j.1095-8649.2006.01300.x|bibcode=2007JFBio..70..243M }}

File:Bagarius yarrelli India.png (goonch) caught in India. Some goonch in the Kali River grow large enough to attack humans and water buffalo]]

Catfish have one of the largest ranges in size within a single order of bony fish. Many catfish have a maximum length of under {{convert|12|cm|in|abbr=on}}. Some of the smallest species of the Aspredinidae and Trichomycteridae reach sexual maturity at only {{convert|1|cm|in|abbr=on}}.

The wels catfish, Silurus glanis, and the much smaller related Aristotle's catfish, are the only catfish indigenous to Europe; the former ranges throughout Europe, and the latter is restricted to Greece. Mythology and literature record wels catfish of astounding proportions yet are to be proven scientifically. The typical size of the species is about {{convert|1.2–1.6|m|ft|abbr=on}}, and fish more than {{convert|2|m|ft|abbr=on}} are rare. However, they are known to exceed {{convert|2.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} in length and {{convert|100|kg|lb|abbr=on}} in weight. In July 2009, a catfish weighing {{convert|88|kg|lb}} was caught in the River Ebro, Spain, by an 11-year-old British schoolgirl.{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5834754/Schoolgirl-nets-9ft-monster-fish.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5834754/Schoolgirl-nets-9ft-monster-fish.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | work=The Daily Telegraph | location=London | title=Schoolgirl nets 9ft monster fish | date=15 July 2009 | access-date=28 April 2010}}{{cbignore}}

In North America, the largest Ictalurus furcatus (blue catfish) caught in the Missouri River on 20 July 2010, weighed {{convert|59|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. The largest flathead catfish, Pylodictis olivaris, ever caught was in Independence, Kansas, weighing {{convert|56|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.

These records pale in comparison to a Mekong giant catfish caught in northern Thailand on 1 May 2005, and reported to the press almost 2 months later, that weighed {{convert|293|kg|lb}}. This is the largest giant Mekong catfish caught since Thai officials started keeping records in 1981.{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/06/0629_050629_giantcatfish.html|title=Grizzly Bear-Size Catfish Caught in Thailand|date=29 June 2005|access-date=14 July 2006|publisher=National Geographic News|archive-date=30 June 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050630233848/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/06/0629_050629_giantcatfish.html|url-status=dead}} Also in Asia, Jeremy Wade caught a {{convert|75.5|kg|lb|1|adj=on}} goonch following three fatal attacks on humans in the Kali River on the India-Nepal border. Wade was of the opinion that the offending fish must have been significantly larger than this to have taken an 18-year-old boy, as well as a water buffalo.{{citation needed|reason=This claim needs a reliable source.|date=March 2020}}

Piraíba (Brachyplatystoma filamentosum) can grow exceptionally large and are native to the Amazon Basin. They can occasionally grow to {{convert|200|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, as evidenced by numerous catches. Deaths from being swallowed by these fish have been reported in the region.

File:Kryptopterus 2.jpg (glass catfish) have transparent bodies lacking both scales and pigments. Most of the internal organs are located near the head.]]

In many catfish, the "humeral process" is a bony process extending backward from the pectoral girdle immediately above the base of the pectoral fin. It lies beneath the skin, where its outline may be determined by dissecting the skin or probing with a needle.{{cite web|url=http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/Glossary/Glossary.cfm?TermEnglish=humeral%20process|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217212539/http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/Glossary/Glossary.cfm?TermEnglish=humeral%20process|archive-date=17 December 2007|title=Term : humeral process|publisher=FishBase|year=2007}}

The retinae of catfish are composed of single cones and large rods. Many catfish have a tapetum lucidum, which may help enhance photon capture and increase low-light sensitivity. Double cones, though present in most teleosts, are absent from catfish.{{cite journal|last=Douglas|first=Ron H.|author2=Collin, Shaun P.|author3=Corrigan, Julie|date=15 November 2002|url=http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/205/22/3425|title=The eyes of suckermouth armoured catfish (Loricariidae, subfamily Hypostomus): pupil response, lenticular longitudinal spherical aberration and retinal topography|publisher=The Journal of Experimental Biology|volume=205|issue=22|pages=3425–3433|journal=Journal of Experimental Biology|doi=10.1242/jeb.205.22.3425|pmid=12364396|access-date=9 June 2007|archive-date=30 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930044830/http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/205/22/3425|url-status=live}}

The anatomical organization of the testis in catfish is variable among the families of catfish, but the majority of them present fringed testis: Ictaluridae, Claridae, Auchenipteridae, Doradidae, Pimelodidae, and Pseudopimelodidae. In the testes of some species of Siluriformes, organs and structures such as a spermatogenic cranial region and a secretory caudal region are observed, in addition to the presence of seminal vesicles in the caudal region. The total number of fringes and their length are different in the caudal and cranial portions between species.{{cite journal|title=Reproductive apparatus and gametogenesis of Lophiosilurus alexandri Steindachner (Pisces, Teleostei, Siluriformes)|first=Marcelo D. M.|last=Barros|author2=Guimarães-Cruz, Rodrigo J. |author3=Veloso-Júnior, Vanderlei C. |author4= Santos, José E. dos |journal=Revista Brasileira de Zoologia|volume=24|issue=1|pages=213–221|year=2007|doi=10.1590/S0101-81752007000100028|doi-access=free}} Fringes of the caudal region may present tubules, in which the lumen is filled by secretion and spermatozoa. Spermatocysts are formed from cytoplasmic extensions of Sertoli cells; the release of spermatozoa is allowed by breaking of the cyst walls.

The occurrence of seminal vesicles, in spite of their interspecific variability in size, gross morphology, and function, has not been related to the mode of fertilization. They are typically paired, multichambered, and connected with the sperm duct, and have been reported to play glandular and storage functions. Seminal vesicle secretion may include steroids and steroid glucuronides, with hormonal and pheromonal functions, but it appears to be primarily constituted of mucoproteins, acid mucopolysaccharides, and phospholipids.

Fish ovaries may be of two types - gymnovarian or cystovarian. In the first type, the oocytes are released directly into the coelomic cavity and then eliminated. In the second type, the oocytes are conveyed to the exterior through the oviduct. Many catfish are cystovarian in type, including Pseudoplatystoma corruscans, P. fasciatum, Lophiosilurus alexandri, and Loricaria lentiginosa.{{cite journal|title=Reproduction of the surubim catfish (Pisces, Pimelodidae) in the São Francisco River, Pirapora Region, Minas Gerais, Brazil|last=Brito|first=M.F.G.|author2=Bazzoli, N.|journal=Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia|volume=55|issue=5|year=2003|doi=10.1590/S0102-09352003000500018|page=624|doi-access=free}}

Catfish can produce different types of sounds and also have well-developed auditory reception used to discriminate between sounds with different pitches and velocities. They are also able to determine the distance of the sound's origin and from what direction it originated.{{cite journal|last=Kasumayan|first=A. O.|title=Sounds and Sound Production in Fishes|journal=Journal of Ichthyology|year=2008|volume=48|issue=11|pages=981–1030|doi=10.1134/S0032945208110039|s2cid=23223714}} This is a very important fish communication mechanism, especially during agonistic and distress behaviors. Catfish are able to produce a variety of sounds for communication that can be classified into two groups: drumming sounds and stridulation sounds. The variability in catfish sound signals differs due to a few factors: the mechanism by which the sound is produced, the function of the resulting sound, and physiological differences such as size, sex, and age.{{cite journal|last=Vance|first=Theresa L.|title=Variation in Stridulatory Sound Production in the Channel Catfish, Ictalurus punctatus|jstor=4608557|journal=BIOS|year=2000|volume=71|issue=3|pages=79–84}} To create a drumming sound, catfish use an indirect vibration mechanism using a swimbladder. In these fishes, sonic muscles insert on the ramus Mulleri, also known as the elastic spring. The sonic muscles pull the elastic spring forward and extend the swimbladder. When the muscles relax, the tension in the spring quickly returns the swimbladder to its original position, which produces the sound.{{cite journal|last=Ladich|first=Friedrich|author2=Michael L. Fine|title=Sound-Generating Mechanisms in Fishes: A Unique Diversity in Vertebrates|journal=Communication in Fishes|year=2006|volume=1|pages=3–43}}

Catfish also have a sound-generating mechanism in their pectoral fins. Many species in the catfish family possess an enhanced first pectoral fin ray, called the spine, which can be moved by large abductor and adductor muscles. The base of the catfishes' spines has a sequence of ridges, and the spine normally slides within a groove on the fish's pelvic girdle during routine movement; but, pressing the ridges on the spine against the pelvic girdle groove creates a series of short pulses. The movement is analogous to a finger moving down the teeth of a comb, and consequently a series of sharp taps is produced.

Sound-generating mechanisms are often different between the sexes. In some catfish, pectoral fins are longer in males than in females of similar length, and differences in the characteristic of the sounds produced were also observed. Comparison between families of the same order of catfish demonstrated family and species-specific patterns of vocalization, according to a study by Maria Clara Amorim. During courtship behavior in three species of Corydoras catfish, all males actively produced stridulation sounds before egg fertilization, and the species' songs were different in pulse number and sound duration.{{cite journal|last=Amorim|first=Maria Clara P.|title=Diversity of Sound Production in Fish|journal=Communication in Fish|year=2006|volume=1|pages=71–105}}

Sound production in catfish may also be correlated with fighting and alarm calls. According to a study by Kaatz, sounds for disturbance (e.g. alarm) and agonistic behavior were not significantly different, which suggests distress sounds can be used to sample variation in agonistic sound production. However, in a comparison of a few different species of tropical catfish, some fish put under distress conditions produced a higher intensity of stridulatory sounds than drumming sounds. Differences in the proportion of drumming versus stridulation sounds depend on morphological constraints, such as different sizes of drumming muscles and pectoral spines. Due to these constraints, some fish may not even be able to produce a specific sound. In several different species of catfish, aggressive sound production occurs during cover site defense or during threats from other fish. More specifically, in long-whiskered catfish, drumming sounds are used as a threatening signal and stridulations are used as a defense signal. Kaatz investigated 83 species from 14 families of catfish, and determined that catfish produce more stridulatory sounds in disturbance situations and more swimbladder sounds in intraspecific conflicts.{{cite journal|last=Ladich|first=Friedrich|author2=Myrberg, Arthur A Jr.|title=Agonistic Behavior and Acoustic Communication|journal=Communication in Fishes|year=2006|volume=1|pages=121–148}}

File:Loading2 U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish.jpg

{{Main|Aquaculture of catfish}}

Catfish are easy to farm in warm climates, leading to inexpensive and safe food at local grocers. About 60% of U.S. farm-raised catfish are grown within a 65-mile (100-km) radius of Belzoni, Mississippi.{{Cite web | author= Morris, J.E. |title= Pond Culture of Channel Catfish in the North Central Region | publisher= North Central Regional Aquaculture Center| date= October 1993| url= http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/NCR444.pdf| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070206022434/http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/NCR444.pdf| archive-date= 6 February 2007| access-date= 28 June 2006}} Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) supports a $450 million/yr aquaculture industry. The largest producers are located in the Southern United States, including Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas.{{Cite web|url=http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/CatfProd/CatfProd-07-21-2017.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915113343/http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/CatfProd/CatfProd-07-21-2017.pdf |archive-date=2017-09-15 |url-status=live|title=Catfish Production|date=21 July 2017|website=www.nass.usda.gov|access-date=14 September 2017}}

Catfish raised in inland tanks or channels are usually considered safe for the environment, since their waste and disease should be contained and not spread to the wild.{{cite journal | first = Paul | last = Rogers | title = Economy of Scales | journal = Stanford Magazine | publisher = Stanford Alumni Association | issue = March / April 2006 | url = http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2006/marapr/features/fishfarming.html | access-date = 14 February 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080611123839/http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2006/marapr/features/fishfarming.html | archive-date = 11 June 2008 | url-status = dead}}

In Asia, many catfish species are important as food. Several airbreathing catfish (Clariidae) and shark catfish (Pangasiidae) species are heavily cultured in Africa and Asia. Exports of one particular shark catfish species from Vietnam, Pangasius bocourti, have met with pressures from the U.S. catfish industry. In 2003, The United States Congress passed a law preventing the imported fish from being labeled as catfish.{{cite web| url = http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-catfish28nov28,0,6595048.story?coll=la-home-business| title = "'Catfish' bred in Asia move up on U.S. food chain"$, Associated Press via L.A. Times, 28 November 2006| website = Los Angeles Times| date = 28 November 2006| access-date = 5 December 2006| archive-date = 23 September 2023| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230923095543/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-nov-28-fi-catfish28-story.html| url-status = live}} As a result, the Vietnamese exporters of this fish now label their products sold in the U.S. as "basa fish." Trader Joe's has labeled frozen fillets of Vietnamese Pangasius hypophthalmus as "striper."Cole, Nancy (27 January 2006) [https://web.archive.org/web/20070731074338/http://growfish.com.au/content.asp?contentid=5816 Catfish imports not slowing]. Northwest Arkansas News

There is a large and growing ornamental fish trade, with hundreds of species of catfish, such as Corydoras and armored suckermouth catfish (often called plecos), being a popular component of many aquaria. Other catfish commonly found in the aquarium trade are banjo catfish, talking catfish, and long-whiskered catfish.

{{Cookbook|Catfish}}File:Fried catfish new orleans.JPG]]

Catfish have widely been caught and farmed for food for thousands of years in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. Judgments as to the quality and flavor vary, with some food critics considering catfish excellent to eat, while others dismiss them as watery and lacking in flavor.Jenny Baker (1988), Simply Fish p 36–37. Faver & Faber, London. Catfish is high in vitamin D.{{cite web|url=http://www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/conditions/osteoporosis/vitd.htm|title=Vitamin D and Healthy Bones|publisher=New York State Department of Health|access-date=13 July 2007|archive-date=18 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818173653/http://www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/conditions/osteoporosis/vitd.htm|url-status=live}} Farm-raised catfish contains low levels of omega-3 fatty acids and a much higher proportion of omega-6 fatty acids.[http://www.fitfunctional.com/index.php/articles/nutrition/60-fatty-fish-not-equal-in-qgoodq-fats-study Fatty Fish Not Equal in Good Fats] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321233925/http://www.fitfunctional.com/index.php/articles/nutrition/60-fatty-fish-not-equal-in-qgoodq-fats-study |date=21 March 2012 }}. Reuters. Source: Journal of the American Dietetic Association, July 2008

In Central Europe, catfish were often viewed as a delicacy to be enjoyed on feast days and holidays. Migrants from Europe and Africa to the United States brought along this tradition, and in the Southern United States, catfish is an extremely popular food.

The most commonly eaten species in the United States are the channel catfish and the blue catfish, both of which are common in the wild and increasingly widely farmed. Farm-raised catfish became such a staple of the U.S. diet that President Ronald Reagan proclaimed National Catfish Day on June 25, 1987, to recognize "the value of farm-raised catfish."{{Cite web |date=2011-09-07 |title=The Rehab Archipelago {{!}} Forced Labor and Other Abuses in Drug Detention Centers in Southern Vietnam |url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2011/09/07/rehab-archipelago/forced-labor-and-other-abuses-drug-detention-centers-southern |access-date=2019-06-25 |website=Human Rights Watch |language=en}}

Catfish is eaten in a variety of ways. In Europe, it is often cooked in similar ways to carp, but in the United States it is popularly crumbed with cornmeal and fried.

File:Pecel Lele 1.JPG served with sambal, tempeh and lalab vegetables in a tent warung in Jakarta, Indonesia]]

In Indonesia, catfish is usually served fried or grilled in street stalls called warung and eaten with vegetables, sambal (a spicy relish or sauce), and usually nasi uduk (traditional coconut rice). The dish is called {{lang|id|pecel lele}} or {{lang|id|pecak lele}}. {{lang|id|Lele}} is the Indonesian word for catfish. The same dish can also be called as {{lang|id|lele penyet}} (squashed catfish) if the fish is lightly squashed along with sambal with a stone mortar-and-pestle. The {{lang|id|pecel}} or {{lang|id|pecak}} version presents the fish in a separate plate while the mortar is solely for sambal.

In Malaysia, catfish is called ikan keli and is fried with spices or grilled and eaten with tamarind and Thai chili gravy and is also often eaten with steamed rice.

In Bangladesh and the Indian states of Odisha, West Bengal and Assam, catfish (locally known as magur) is eaten as a favored delicacy during the monsoons. In the Indian state of Kerala, the local catfish, known as thedu' or etta in Malayalam, is also popular.

In Hungary, catfish is often cooked in paprika sauce (Harcsapaprikás) typical of Hungarian cuisine. It is traditionally served with pasta smothered with curd cheese (túrós csusza).

In Myanmar (formerly Burma), catfish is usually used in mohinga, a traditional noodle fish soup cooked with lemon grass, ginger, garlic, pepper, banana stem, onions, and other local ingredients.

File:Catfishjf.JPG fried hito (catfish) with vinegar and kalamansi dip sauce]]

Vietnamese catfish, of the genus Pangasius, cannot be legally marketed as catfish in the United States, and so is referred to as swai or basa.{{cite web|url=http://www.unionfishco.com/swai/details.htm|title=Union Fish Company – Basa/Swai Details|access-date=11 November 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071109150512/http://www.unionfishco.com/swai/details.htm |archive-date = 9 November 2007}} Only fish of the family Ictaluridae may be marketed as catfish in the United States.Public Law 107-171, § 10806, 116 Stat. 526-527, codified in {{cite web|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/21/321d|title=United States Code, Title 21, section 321d. Market names for catfish and ginseng|mode=cs2|access-date=28 October 2020|archive-date=17 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417123630/https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/21/321d|url-status=live}} and {{cite web|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/21/343-|title=United States Code, Title 21, section 343 (t). Misbranded food|access-date=9 May 2017|archive-date=23 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923095542/https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/21/343|url-status=live}}See [https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=14897106900736461981&q=ictaluridae Piazza's Seafood World, LLC v. Odom] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923095542/https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=14897106900736461981&q=ictaluridae |date=23 September 2023 }}, 448 F. 3d 744 (5th Cir. 2006), citing Kerrilee E. Kobbeman, "Legislative Note, Hook, Line and Sinker: How Congress Swallowed the Domestic Catfish Industry's Narrow Definition of this Ubiquitous Bottomfeeder," 57 ARK. L.REV. 407, 411-18 (2004). In the UK, Vietnamese catfish is sometimes sold as "Vietnamese river cobbler", although more commonly as Basa.{{cite web| url = http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/506/pdfs/uksi_20060506_en.pdf| publisher = COT| title = Fish Labelling (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2006| date = 26 May 2007| access-date = 23 May 2013| archive-date = 31 January 2012| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120131042544/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/506/pdfs/uksi_20060506_en.pdf| url-status = live}}

In Nigeria, catfish is often cooked in a variety of stews. It is particularly cooked in a delicacy popularly known as "catfish pepper soup" which is enjoyed throughout the nation.{{Cite news|url=http://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/food-travel-arts-culture/how-to-cook-the-irresistible-catfish-pepper-soup-id8377325.html|title=How to cook the irresistible catfish pepper soup|last=Oreva|first=Duke|date=2018-05-14|access-date=16 May 2018|archive-date=16 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516175134/http://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/food-travel-arts-culture/how-to-cook-the-irresistible-catfish-pepper-soup-id8377325.html|url-status=live}}

In Jewish dietary law, known as kashrut, fish must have fins and scales to be kosher.{{Cite web |title=Kosher Spirit: Fins and Scales |url=https://www.ok.org/article/fins-scales/ |access-date=2022-11-29 |website=OK Kosher Certification |archive-date=29 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129062913/https://www.ok.org/article/fins-scales/ |url-status=live }} Since catfish lack scales, they are not kosher.{{Cite web|url=https://fisheries.tamu.edu/pond-management/species/channel-catfish/|title=Channel Catfish|website=fisheries.tamu.edu|access-date=2019-11-14|archive-date=1 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501061619/https://fisheries.tamu.edu/pond-management/species/channel-catfish/|url-status=live}}

In the mythology of the Japanese Shinto religion natural phenomenon are caused by kami. Earthquakes are caused by a giant catfish called Namazu. There are other kami associated with earthquakes. In Kyoto it's usually an eel, but after the 1855 Edo earthquake {{Nihongo|Namazu-e|鯰絵||"catfish prints"}} were printed giving more popularity to the catfish kami that has been known since the 16th century Otsu-e.{{cite book |last1=Rosen |first1=Brenda |title=The Mythical Creatures Bible |publisher=Sterling |date=2009 |page=370}} In one catfish print the divine white horse of Amaterasu is depicted knocking down the earthquake-causing catfish.{{cite book |last1=Smits |first1=Gregory |title=Seismic Japan: The Long History and Continuing Legacy of the Ansei Edo Earthquake |date=2013 |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |page=158|bibcode=2013sjlh.book.....S }}

File:Image-Striped eel catfish2.jpg, may be fatal.]]

While the vast majority of catfish are harmless to humans, a few species are known to present some risk. Many catfish species have "stings" (actually non-venomous in most cases) embedded behind their fins; thus precautions must be taken when handling them. Stings by the venomous striped eel catfish have killed people in rare cases.{{FishBase|genus=Plotosus|species=lineatus|month=November|year=2014}}

By information from International Game Fish Association IGFA the most outstanding record:{{cite web |url=http://wrec.igfa.org/ |title=IGFA World Records |publisher=International Game Fish Association |access-date=1 November 2015 |archive-date=1 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151101064327/http://wrec.igfa.org/ |url-status=live }}

• The biggest flathead catfish caught was by Ken Paulie in the Elk City Reservoir in Kansas, US on 19 May 1998 that weighed {{convert|55.79|kg|lboz|abbr=on}}

• Lotidae

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{{Commons category|Siluriformes}}

{{Wikispecies|Siluriformes}}

{{EB1911 poster|Cat-fish}}

• [http://silurus.acnatsci.org/ All catfish species inventory]
• [http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=87845 "Giant Baghair caught in Jamuna"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129032305/http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=87845 |date=29 November 2014 }} in The Daily Star (Bangladesh), 12 May 2009
• Skelton, Paul H. and Teugels, Guy G. 1992. [http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019675 Ichthyological Bulletin; No. 56: Neotype description for the African catfish Clarias Gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) (Pisces: Siluroidei: Clariidae)]. J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa

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{{Seafood}}

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Category:Edible fish

Category:Commercial fish

Category:Ostariophysi

Category:Late Cretaceous fish

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Category:Taxa named by Georges Cuvier

Category:Soul food

Category:Native American cuisine