PlanetCatfish.com - Bagre marinus (Ariidae) Cat-eLog

Caught off the coast of Texas
Close-up of head
Dorsal view
Stamp
Stamp
Rio San Juan, near El Castillo, Nicaragua
Caught off the coast of Costa Rica
Taxidermy

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Bagre marinus** (Mitchill, 1815)
Common Names	Gafftopsail Catfish Bagre Cacumo (Puerto Rican), Topsejlmalle (Denmark)
Type Locality	New York, U.S.A.
Synonym(s)	Aelurichthys longispinis, Felichthys felis, Felichthys marinus, Galeichthys bahiensis, Galeichthys blochii, Galeichthys parrae, Silurus marinus
Pronunciation	BAG ray - mar in uss
Etymology	Bagre: From the Mozarabic bagre, taken from Greek, pagros, meaning fish (of the genus Dentex). Now used in Spanish vernacular to mean catfish.
Species Information
Size	690mm or 27.2" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	Overall gray with a blue sheen. Barbels on upper jaw noticeably flat. Long filaments on pectoral and dorsal fins reaching nearly to or beyond the anal fin. Caudal fin deeply forked with slightly longer upper lobe. Anal fin with concave margin. Bagre marinus is distinguished from congeners by having 22–26 anal fin rays, cephalic shield smooth and (at lateral ethmoid area) width of 15.6–18.0% SL, anal fin base length 15.4–20.3% SL, anterior nuchal plate indistinct from middle and posterior nuchal plates, and dorsal fin band-like filament not reaching anterior insertion of adipose fin; supraoccipital process profile moderately elevated posteriorly; anal and pelvic fins with dark blotch); 7–12 gill rakers on first branchial arch (rarely 22).
General Remarks	Where plentiful, they are caught on longlines, bottom trawls, shore seines, cast nets, and hook and line. Not considered a food fish in North America, but eaten throughout the Caribbean and Northern South America where its flesh is considered tasty.
Habitat Information
Distribution	Western Atlantic: coast of Gulf of Mexico, Cuba, western margin of the Caribbean, and the northern margin of South America. Sometimes in rivers and estuaries. Atlantic, West Atlantic (click on these areas to find other species found there) Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico (click on these areas to find other species found there) Atlantic, Caribbean Sea (click on these areas to find other species found there) Login to view the map.
IUCN Red List Category	Least Concern , range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2014.
pH	8.0 - 8.4
Temperature	10.0-20.0°C or 50-68°F (Show species within this range)
Other Parameters	This is a true marine fish.
Husbandry Information
Feeding	An opportunistic feeder in the wild that would be expected to consume a wide range of aquarium fare. User data.
Furniture	A marine aquarium containing a sand substrate and live rock to provide hiding places.
Compatibility	Other cold to cool water marine fishes that are too large for this fish to eat.
Breeding	Unreported. It is known that spawning in the wild occurs from May to June and that the male holds the large fertilized eggs in its mouth for up to two months until they hatch. The male does not eat during the incubation period.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	Transactions of the Literary and Philosophical Society of New-York v. 1 (art. 5) (for 1814), pp 433.
Registered Keepers	There is no registered keeper.
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Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 3 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
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	Look up B. marinus on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.9.63.137
Last Update	2025 Jan 02 01:37 (species record created: 2001 Nov 11 00:00)