| Eeltail catfish | |
|---|---|
| Euristhmus microceps | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Superfamily: | Siluroidea |
| Family: | Plotosidae Bleeker, 1858 |
| Genera | |
|
Anodontiglanis |
|
The eeltail catfish are a family (Plotosidae) of catfish whose tails are elongated in an eel-like fashion. These catfishes are native to the Indian Ocean and western Pacific from Japan to Australia and Fiji.[1] The family includes about 35 species in 10 genera.[1][2] About half of the species are freshwater, occurring in Australia and New Guinea.[1]
These fish have an eel-like body. The tail is pointed or bluntly rounded. Most species have four pairs of barbels. The adipose fin is absent. The tail fin is formed by the joining of the second dorsal fin, the caudal fin, and the anal fin, forming a single continuous fin.[1]
Some of these catfishes can inflict painful wounds; stings from Plotosus lineatus may result in death.[1] They are bottom feeders and use the barbels around their mouth to detect food.[3]