Hardhead sea catfish (Ariopsis felis) is a saltwater, brackish species recorded in the United States. It is mainly found over reef.
Scientific name: Ariopsis felis · Water: Saltwater, Brackish
Size: up to 70 cm
The hardhead sea catfish is an ariid whose adults inhabit continental waters and enter estuaries, and it is found in turbid waters over muddy bottoms. Males incubate the eggs in the mouth, and it is commonly captured from catwalks, bridges and piers, particularly in passes and inland waterways; it is edible but generally not consumed. Its spines can inflict a wound. Its range is the western Atlantic, from Massachusetts and the northern Gulf of Mexico to southern Florida in the United States and to Mexico. Maximum length is about 70 cm total length, commonly about 25 cm. It is a minor commercial species and a gamefish, with a medium price category. Fishing vulnerability is moderate to high at 48 of 100 and resilience low. IUCN lists it as least concern.
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