Threadfin sea catfish facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Threadfin sea catfish
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Arius
Species:	arius
Synonyms
Pimelodus arius Hamilton, 1822 Tachysurus arius (Hamilton, 1822) Arius falcarius Richardson, 1845 Bagrus crinalis Richardson, 1846 Pimelodus mong Richardson, 1846 Arius cochinchinensis Günther, 1864 Arius sinensis Mai, 1978 Arius boakeii Turner, 1867 Arius buchanani Day, 1877

The threadfin sea catfish (Arius arius), also called the Hamilton's catfish, marine catfish or jella, is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton in 1822, originally under the genus Pimelodus. It is migratory and is found in tropical brackish and marine waters in the Indo-western Pacific region, including Bangladesh, India, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, and China. It reaches a maximum standard length of 40 cm (16 in), but more commonly reaches an SL of 15 cm (5.9 in).

The diet of the threadfin sea catfish consists of finfish in the genus Stolephorus and silver bellies, as well as crabs, mollusks, prawns, and other invertebrates. It is of commercial interest to fisheries. The Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) currently rates the species as Least Concern due to its wide distribution and lack of known threats, although it states that the acquirement of empirical data on the effect of fisheries on the population may lead to a reassessment.