Maya sea catfish
Ariopsis assimilis (Günther, 1864)
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
The Mayan sea catfish (Ariopsis assimilis), also known as the Mayan catfish or the Maya sea catfish, is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Albert Günther in 1864, originally under the genus Arius. It is found in tropical brackish and freshwater bodies in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. It can reach a maximum total length of 35 cm (14 in), but more commonly reaches a TL of 25 cm (9.8 in).
The Mayan sea catfish is of minor commercial interest to fisheries, and its meat is generally consumed fresh.
Wikipedia contributors, Mayan sea catfish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:08:10.512554+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ariopsis assimilis (Günther, 1864)
- Name authority
- (Günther, 1864)
- Common name
- Maya sea catfish
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Siluriformes
- Family
- Ariidae
- Genus
- Ariopsis
- 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
- genusAriopsis Gill, 1861
- speciesAriopsis assimilis (Günther, 1864)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Ariopsis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| widehead sea catfishAriopsis guatemalensis (Günther, 1864) | AriidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| tete sea catfishAriopsis seemanni (Günther, 1864) | 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 |
|---|---|
| Galeichthys assimilis (Günther, 1864) (Günther, 1864) | synonym |
| Arius assimilis Günther, 1864 Günther, 1864 | synonym |
| Hexanematichthys assimilis (Günther, 1864) (Günther, 1864) | synonym |
| Sciades assimilis (Günther, 1864) (Günther, 1864) | 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=308392 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:GMX5. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.