Neoarius midgleyi (Kailola & Pierce, 1988)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Neoarius midgleyi, the silver cobbler, Lake Argyle catfish, Lake Argyle silver cobbler, Midgley's catfish, Ord River catfish, shovel-nosed catfish, or shovelhead catfish, is a species of catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Patricia J. Kailola and Bryan E. Pierce in 1988, originally under the genus Arius. It inhabits brackish and freshwaters in northern Australia. It is known to reach a maximum standard length of 140 cm (55 in), but usually reaches an SL of 50 cm (20 in).
The silver cobbler's diet includes crayfish, finfish and prawns.
Wikipedia contributors, Neoarius midgleyi; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:18:10.379140+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Neoarius midgleyi (Kailola & Pierce, 1988)
- Name authority
- (Kailola & Pierce, 1988)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Siluriformes
- Family
- Ariidae
- Genus
- Neoarius
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderSiluriformes
- familyAriidae Bleeker, 1858
- subfamilyAriinae Bleeker, 1858
- genusNeoarius Castelnau, 1878
- speciesNeoarius midgleyi (Kailola & Pierce, 1988)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Neoarius. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Neoarius taylori (Roberts, 1978) | AriidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Neoarius utarus (Kailola, 1990) | AriidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Neoarius pectoralis (Kailola, 2000) | AriidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Ariopsis midgleyi (Kailola & Pierce, 1988) (Kailola & Pierce, 1988) | synonym |
| Arius midgleyi Kailola & Pierce, 1988 Kailola & Pierce, 1988 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=281675 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:6S6L3. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.