Ariidae
Sign in to saveThe 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.
Article
8 sectionsContents
- Taxonomy
- Distribution and habitat
- Appearance and anatomy
- Skull
- Ecology
- Relationship to humans
- See also
- References
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.
The Ariidae are among the oldest known siluroid catfish known from fossil remains. Fossilized pectoral spines and skull bone fragments of ariid catfish are known from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian and Maastrichtian) of Argentina. The ariid relative Vorhisia is known from highly abundant fossil otoliths from Maastrichtian-aged nearshore marine formations of North America.