Guinean sea catfish

The Guinean sea catfish (Carlarius parkii), also known as the marine catfish,^[2] is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae.^[3] It was described by Albert Günther in 1864, originally under the genus Arius.^[4] It is a tropical fish which is found in the eastern Atlantic off Mauritania, Angola, Morocco and Western Sahara. A single record was reported in the eastern Mediterranean Sea in 1986.^[5] It inhabits coastal marine waters at a depth range of 50 to 80 m (160 to 260 ft), also frequently entering estuaries and freshwater rivers. It reaches a maximum total length of 70 cm (28 in), more commonly reaching a TL of 40 cm (16 in).^[3]

Guinean sea catfish
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Siluriformes
Family:	Ariidae
Genus:	Carlarius
Species:	C. parkii
Binomial name
Carlarius parkii (Günther, 1864)
Synonyms[1]
Arius parkii Günther, 1864 Tachysurus gambensis (Bowdich, 1825) Arius capellonis Steindachner, 1867 Tachysurus capellonis (Steindachner, 1867) Tachysurus capellonsis (Steindachner, 1867) Arius granulatus Peters, 1868

The Guinean sea catfish feeds on bony fish and shrimp.^[6] It is of commercial interest to fisheries, although a venom in the serrated spines of its dorsal and pectoral regions can cause painful injuries.^[3]

Male Guinean sea catfish orally incubate eggs.^[3]