The schilbid catfishes (Schilbeidae) are a family 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 native to Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

 and southern Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

. These fish tend to swim in open water.

Schilbid catfishes usually have dorsal fin

Dorsal fin

A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...

s with a short base and a spine, but Ailia

Ailia

Ailia is a genus of catfish in the Schilbeidae family....

and Parailia lack a dorsal fin altogether. Most species also possess an adipose fin. The base of the anal fin is very long. There are usually four pairs of barbels. Several species lack anal fins.

The family name is sometimes spelled Schilbidae in scientific literature.