Scientific Name
Sciades dowii

Common Name
Brown sea catfish

Biology
Body elongate, not very robust; nostrils connected through the snout by a narrow flap of skin; eyes small (8 to 12 times in head length); cephalic plate entirely covered with thick granules, its edges striate; lower branch of the first gill arch with 17 gill rakers; adipose fin located over the end of the anal fin, its length two to three times that of the dorsal fin. Body blue-brown or blue-gray; belly white; fins dark with numerous brown spots; maxillary barbels dark gray (Ref. 55763).

Classification

Classified By

Gill, 1863

Class

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)

Order

Catfish (Siluriformes)

Family

Sea catfishes (Ariidae)

Distribution

Region

Central and South America

Distribution

Central and South America: fresh and brackish water along Pacific side from Panama to Ecuador.

Range

8°N - 2°S

Environment

Climate

Tropical

Water Temperature From

Unknown °C

Water Temperature To

Unknown °C

Depth From - meters

Unknown m

Depth To - meters

Unknown m

Zone

demersal

Environment

Freshwater; brackish; demersal

Trophic Level

4.03 s.e. 0.62 Based on food items.

Occurs in Marine / Salt water

False

Occurs in Brackish water

True

Occurs in Fresh Water

True

Occurs on Reefs

False

Is kept in Aquariums

False

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length

90.0 cm

Common Length

50.0 cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 0.5078 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses

Fisheries: commercial

Vulnerability

High vulnerability (60 of 100)

Resilience

Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Threat To Humans

Traumatogenic (Ref. 58010)

IUCN Red List Status

Least Concern (LC)