Arius (genus)
Encyclopedia
Arius is a genus
of catfish
es (order
Siluriformes) of the family
Ariidae
. The genus Arius is distributed in brackish
and fresh water
s of Eastern Africa and south to southeast Asia
.
Defining the limits so that Arius can form a natural grouping has always been a problem. The genus was never properly defined, and many species previously classified in Arius are now in other genera. Recent authors have recognized this genus as non-monophyetic
, rejecting that the genus is a natural grouping. Two un-named groups are distinguished by accessory tooth plates, which are either very elongated and bearing molar-like teeth, or are oval shaped or subtriangular and bearing acicular (needle-like) or conic teeth. A. jatius lacks these tooth plates, but has been included in this genus based on its adipose fin and lateral line
. The recognition of Arenarius as a junior synonym
of Arius is tentative and needs to be further investigated.
Arius species have three pairs of barbels
, including the fleshy and cylindrical maxillary barbels and two pairs of mental barbels. The base of the adipose fin is moderately long, about half the length of the base of the anal fin.
Moved to new genus (Marceniuk & Menezes, 2007)
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
es (order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Siluriformes) of the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Ariidae
Ariidae
The Ariidae or ariid catfish are a family of catfish that mainly live in marine waters with many freshwater and brackish water species. They are found worldwide in tropical to warm temperate zones.-Taxonomy:...
. The genus Arius is distributed in brackish
Brackish water
Brackish water is water that has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing of seawater with fresh water, as in estuaries, or it may occur in brackish fossil aquifers. The word comes from the Middle Dutch root "brak," meaning "salty"...
and fresh water
Fresh Water
Fresh Water is the debut album by Australian rock and blues singer Alison McCallum, released in 1972. Rare for an Australian artist at the time, it came in a gatefold sleeve...
s of Eastern Africa and south to southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
.
Defining the limits so that Arius can form a natural grouping has always been a problem. The genus was never properly defined, and many species previously classified in Arius are now in other genera. Recent authors have recognized this genus as non-monophyetic
Monophyly
In common cladistic usage, a monophyletic group is a taxon which forms a clade, meaning that it contains all the descendants of the possibly hypothetical closest common ancestor of the members of the group. The term is synonymous with the uncommon term holophyly...
, rejecting that the genus is a natural grouping. Two un-named groups are distinguished by accessory tooth plates, which are either very elongated and bearing molar-like teeth, or are oval shaped or subtriangular and bearing acicular (needle-like) or conic teeth. A. jatius lacks these tooth plates, but has been included in this genus based on its adipose fin and lateral line
Lateral line
The lateral line is a sense organ in aquatic organisms , used to detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water. Lateral lines are usually visible as faint lines running lengthwise down each side, from the vicinity of the gill covers to the base of the tail...
. The recognition of Arenarius as a junior synonym
Synonym (taxonomy)
In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...
of Arius is tentative and needs to be further investigated.
Arius species have three pairs of barbels
Barbel (anatomy)
A barbel on a fish is a slender, whiskerlike tactile organ near the mouth. Fish that have barbels include the catfish, the carp, the goatfish, sturgeon, the zebrafish and some species of shark...
, including the fleshy and cylindrical maxillary barbels and two pairs of mental barbels. The base of the adipose fin is moderately long, about half the length of the base of the anal fin.
Species
Species according to Marceniuk & Menezes, 2007.- Arius acutirostris DayFrancis DayFrancis Day CIE was Inspector-General of Fisheries in India and Burma and an ichthyologist.He was born on 2 March 1829 Maresfield, Sussex, UK third son of William and Ann Day. He became the medical officer in the Madras Presidency, East India Company services in 1852.Francis Day was created a...
, 1877 - Arius africanus GüntherAlbert C. L. G. GüntherAlbert Karl Ludwig Gotthilf Günther FRS, also Albert Charles Lewis Gotthilf Günther , was a German-born British zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist....
, 1867 - Arius arenarius (MüllerJohannes Peter MüllerJohannes Peter Müller , was a German physiologist, comparative anatomist, and ichthyologist not only known for his discoveries but also for his ability to synthesize knowledge.-Early years and education:...
& TroschelFranz Hermann TroschelFranz Hermann Troschel was a German zoologist who was born in Spandau. He studied mathematics and natural history at the University of Berlin, and beginning in 1840 was an assistant to Martin Lichtenstein at the Humboldt Museum of Natural History in Berlin...
, 1849) - Arius arius (HamiltonFrancis Buchanan-HamiltonDr Francis Buchanan, later known as Francis Hamilton but often referred to as Francis Buchanan-Hamilton was a Scottish physician who made significant contributions as a geographer, zoologist, and botanist while living in India.The standard botanical author abbreviation Buch.-Ham. is applied to...
, 1822) - Arius brunellii Zollezi, 1939
- Arius burmanicus Day, 1870
- Arius caelatus ValenciennesAchille ValenciennesAchille Valenciennes was a French zoologist.Valenciennes was born in Paris, and studied under Georges Cuvier. Valenciennes' study of parasitic worms in humans made an important contribution to the study of parasitology...
, 1840 - Arius dispar Herre, 1926
- Arius festinusArius festinusArius festinus is a species of fish in the Ariidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
Ng & Sparks, 2003 - Arius gagora (Hamilton, 1822)
- Arius graeffei (Hamilton, 1822)
- Arius jatius (Hamilton, 1822)
- Arius jella Day, 1877
- Arius leptonotacanthus BleekerPieter BleekerPieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia – Atlas Ichthyologique des Orientales Neerlandaises – which was published 1862–1877....
, 1849 - Arius maculatus (Thunberg, 1792)
- Arius madagascariensis VaillantLéon VaillantLéon Louis Vaillant was a French zoologist. He is most famous for his work in the areas of herpetology, malacology, and ichthyology...
, 1894 - Arius malabaricus Day, 1877
- Arius manillensis Valenciennes, 1840
- Arius microcephalus Bleeker, 1855
- Arius nengaArius nengaArius nenga or Kata is a catfish of the Ariidae family, available in the Bay of Bengal.-Sources:* * *...
(Hamilton, 1822) - Arius oetik Bleeker, 1846
- Arius subrostratus Valenciennes, 1840
- Arius uncinatusArius uncinatusArius uncinatus is a species of fish in the Ariidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are rivers and freshwater lakes. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
Ng & Sparks, 2003 - Arius venosus Valenciennes, 1840
Moved to new genus (Marceniuk & Menezes, 2007)
| Carlarius | ||
| Arius capellonis Steindachner, 1867 | → | Carlarius parkii |
| Arius gigas Boulenger, 1911 | → | Carlarius gigas |
| Arius heudelotii Valenciennes, 1840 | → | Carlarius heudelotii |
| Arius lagoensis Pfaff, 1933 | → | Carlarius latiscutatus |
| Arius latiscutatus Günther, 1864 | → | Carlarius latiscutatus |
| Arius mercatoris Poll, 1949 | → | Carlarius heudelotii |
| Arius parkii Günther, 1864 | → | Carlarius parkii |
| Amphiarius Amphiarius Amphiarius is a genus of catfishes of the family Ariidae. It includes two species, the Kukwari sea catfish, A. phrygiatus, and the softhead sea catfish, A. rugispinis.-Taxonomy:... |
||
| Arius phrygiatus Valenciennes, 1840 | → | Amphiarius phrygiatus Amphiarius phrygiatus Amphiarius phrygiatus is a species of catfish of family Ariidae.... |
| Arius rugispinis Valenciennes, 1840 | → | Amphiarius rugispinis Amphiarius rugispinis Amphiarius rugispinis is a species of catfish of family Ariidae.... |