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Galeichthys ater Castelnau, 1861 Black seacatfish |
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photo by
SFSA |
| Family: | Ariidae (Sea catfishes), subfamily: Galeichthyinae | |||
| Max. size: | 45 cm TL (male/unsexed) | |||
| Environment: | reef-associated; marine | |||
| Distribution: | Southeast Atlantic: South Africa and Namibia. | |||
| Diagnosis: | Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 19-22. This species is distinguished with the following characters: short head, nearly as broad as long; blunt snout, well-rounded in lateral profile and dorsally; palatal tooth patches posterior to premaxillary tooth band meet at midline; rounded caudal-fin lobes, of near equal length, fin not deeply forked; short and thick caudal peduncle; underside of body (both head and belly) covered with fine brown specks; anterior gill-rakers on first arch 10-13 (5 + 5); pectoral fin rays 9-12; fatty growth along pectoral fin spines of breeding females not present outside spawning season. Dimorphism present with posterior (humeral) process of cleithrum obvious externally, fan-shaped in females, triangular in males; smooth and shallow dorsomedian cranial depression on exposed skull not reaching supraoccipital process (Ref. 85159). | |||
| Biology: | Carnivorous on benthic invertebrates, primarily annelids (Ref. 4332). | |||
| IUCN Red List Status: | Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. (130435) | |||
| Threat to humans: | traumatogenic | |||