Mayan sea catfish

{{Short description|Species of fish}}

{{Speciesbox

| image =

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| taxon = Ariopsis assimilis

| authority = (Günther, 1864)

| synonyms_ref = [http://www.fishbase.org/Nomenclature/SynonymsList.php?ID=945&SynCode=23020&GenusName=Ariopsis&SpeciesName=assimilis Synonyms of Ariopsis assimilis] at fishbase.org.

| synonyms = * Arius assimilis Günther, 1864

• Galeichthys assimilis (Günther, 1864)
• Hexanematichthys assimilis (Günther, 1864)
• Sciades assimilis (Günther, 1864)

}}

The Mayan sea catfish (Ariopsis assimilis), also known as the Mayan catfish or the Maya sea catfish,[http://www.fishbase.org/ComNames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=945&GenusName=Ariopsis&SpeciesName=assimilis&StockCode=961 Common names of Ariopsis assimilis] at fishbase.org. is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae.{{FishBase |genus=Ariopsis|species=assimilis |month=April |year=2016}} It was described by Albert Günther in 1864, originally under the genus Arius.Günther, A. 1864 (10 Dec.) [ref. 1974] Catalogue of the fishes in the British Museum. Catalogue of the Physostomi, containing the families Siluridae, Characinidae, Haplochitonidae, Sternoptychidae, Scopelidae, Stomiatidae in the collection of the British Museum. v. 5: i-xxii + 1-455. It is found in tropical brackish and freshwater bodies in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. It can reach a maximum total length of {{convert|35|cm|in|abbr=on}}, but more commonly reaches a TL of {{convert|25|cm|in|abbr=on}}.

The Mayan sea catfish is of minor commercial interest to fisheries, and its meat is generally consumed fresh.