Ariidae

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The Ariidae are an unusual group of catfish that live primarily in the sea; the majority of catfish families are strictly freshwater and have little tolerance for brackish or marine conditions. Ariid catfish are found in shallow temperate and tropical seas around the coastlines of North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. They are absent from Europe and Antarctica. One well known ariid catfish is the hardhead sea catfish, Ariopsis felis , abundant along the Western Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to Mexico. Although hardhead catfish reach a weight of about 5.5 kg and are good eating, they have a mixed reputation as game fish and are often considered nuisance bait stealers [link].

The smaller ariid catfish have minor value as public and home aquarium fish. In 1972, the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago received worldwide acclaim for being the first successful breeding of Ariopsis felis in captivity, a feat they have repeated several times since. Hexanematichthys seemanni, is a fairly popular aquarium fish, though it is usually traded under a variety of spurious names, such as Arius jordani and Arius seemani [link]. Less commonly traded aquarium species include Arius berneyi and Arius graeffei [link].

Beyond their maritime habitat, ariid catfish have a number of unique adaptations that set them apart from other catfish. They are mouthbrooding fish, with the male carrying a small clutch of a few dozen, golf-ball sized eggs for about two months until they eggs hatch and the fry become free-swimming [link]. At least some species have venomous spines in their dorsal and pectoral fins [link].

Ariid catfish have sometimes been called crucifix catfish thanks to a rather peculiar skull morphology that, with a bit of imagination, can be seen to resemble a crucifixion scene [link].

References

["Ariidae"]. FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. May 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
[Notes on keeping ariid catfish in aquaria]

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