The crucifix sea catfish (Sciades proops) — also known as the Christfish, the crucifix/crucifex catfish, the crucifixfish, or the gillbacker,[2] — is a species of catfish in the family Ariidae.[3]
| Crucifix sea catfish | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Ariidae |
| Genus: | Sciades |
| Species: | S. proops
|
| Binomial name | |
| Sciades proops (Valenciennes, 1840)
| |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
This fish was described by Achille Valenciennes in 1840, originally under the genus Bagrus.[1] It inhabits marine, brackish and freshwaters ranging from Brazil to Colombia. It reaches a maximum total length of 100 cm (39 in), more commonly reaching a TL of 50 cm (20 in). It reaches a maximum weight of 9 kg (20 lb). Its maximum known life expectancy is 4 years.[3]
The crucifix sea catfish spawns from October–May.[4] It is harvested by commercial fisheries, and its meat is marketed fresh.[3]
Diet
editThe crucifix sea catfish has an extensive diet, consisting largely of crustaceans such as crabs in the genera Callinectes (C. bocourti, C. danae, and C. ornatus), Petrolisthes, and Porcellana (P. sayana); shrimp and prawns in the genera Alpheus, Exhippolysmata (E. oplophoroides), Nematopalaemon (N. schmitti), Penaeus (P. schmitti), and Xiphopenaeus (X. kroyeri); and isopods. It also feeds largely on eels in the families Muraenesocidae and Ophichthidae, and other bony fish in the genera Anchoa, Aspistor (A. quadriscutis), Cathorops ( C. arenatus, C. phrygiatus and C. rugispinis), Evermannichthys, Gobioides, Plagioscion, Pseudauchenipterus (P. nodosus), Stellifer (S. microps and S. rastrifer), Synbranchus (S. marmoratus), and Trichiurus. It also feeds on annelid, polychaete and roundworms, as well as ariid larvae, insects, gastropods, and leaves and twigs from terrestrial plants.[5][6]
References
edit- ^ a b Synonyms of Sciades proops at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ Common names of Sciades proops at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ a b c Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Sciades proops". FishBase. July 2019 version.
- ^ Spawning for Sciades proops at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ Food items reported for Sciades proops at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ Food and Feeding Habits Summary Sciades proops at www.fishbase.org.
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