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Exploring Catfish: A Quiz on Species and Facts

Test your knowledge about catfish species, their characteristics, and their ecological significance with this engaging quiz.

#catfish #aquatic biology #fishing #species diversity #ecology

1 The wels catfish, Silurus glanis, is the only native catfish species of Europe, besides the much smaller related Aristotle's catfish found in ________.

2 What does the following picture show?  A sting from the striped eel catfish, Plotosus lineatus, may be fatal.   A sting from the striped eel catfish, Plotosus lineatus, may be fatal.   The channel catfish has four pairs of barbels.   Walking catfish is an invasive species in Florida.

3 [19] Many catfish are cystovarian in type, including ________, P. fasciatum, Lophiosilurus alexandri, and Loricaria lentiginosa.

4 [35] This makes the catfish order the second or third most diverse ________ order; in fact, 1 out of every 20 vertebrate species is a catfish.

5 Representatives of the ________ Ictalurus have been introduced into European waters in the hope of obtaining a sporting and food resource.

6 [3] Representatives of at least eight families are ________ (live underground) with three families that are also troglobitic (inhabiting caves).

7 [3] However, some families, notably ________ and Astroblepidae, have a suckermouth that allows them to fasten themselves to objects in fast-moving water.

8 What classis does Catfish belong to?

9 What period does the fossils of the Catfish come from?

10 ________ and literature record wels catfish of astounding proportions, yet to be proven scientifically.

💡 Interesting Facts

  • the catfish genus Steindachneridion was named after its discoverer, the Austrian zoologist Franz Steindachner.
  • the catfish genus Hemiancistrus currently includes species of two other undescribed genera.
  • some catfishes of the subfamily Glanapteryginae live exclusively in sand.
  • most species of catfishes of the subfamily Sarcoglanidinae are small and transparent.
  • the catfish of the genus Batasio are found in fast-flowing hillstreams throughout South and mainland Southeast Asia.
  • the genus Brachyplatystoma includes many large species of Amazonian catfish, including one which may reach about 3.6 metres (almost 12 feet) in length.
  • when severely disturbed, catfish of the genus Acrochordonichthys may release a milky-white mucus-like substance that can kill other fish.
  • the book The Complex: How the Military Invades Our Everyday Lives explores U.S. military expenditures on items including Southern catfish restaurants and Dunkin' Donuts.
  • the Ouachita Madtom is a rare species of miniature catfish found only in central Arkansas.
  • the genus Entomocorus includes a catfish species that lives only one year.
  • members of the catfish genus Auchenipterichthys are capable of producing sound.
  • all five species of the catfish genus Epactionotus are endemic to limited geographic areas in Brazil and Argentina.
  • Pareuchiloglanis catfishes can be distinguished from other members of the Sisoridae family only by their premaxillary tooth bands.
  • Hypancistrus is a genus of catfish with suckermouths, including popular aquarium fish such as the zebra pleco.
  • catfish of the genus Leporacanthicus are also known as vampire plecostomus because of the presence of very long teeth on their upper jaw.
  • catfish of the genus Dekeyseria can rapidly change their colouration to fit their mood or their surroundings.
  • Phreatobius cisternarum, a species of catfish, is one of the few fish species that lives underground.
  • Pinirampus pirinampu, a species of migratory catfish, is one of the most important fishery resources in certain reservoirs in its native range.
  • a catfish of the genus Helogenes is known to jump out of the stream during rotenone fishing by locals, and jump back afterwards.
  • Bagrichthys macracanthus, the black lancer, is the only species of Bagrichthys, a genus of catfishes, that is traded in the aquarium hobby.
  • Sorubim is a genus of catfish with shovel-shaped long noses.
  • catfish species of the genus Hypophthalmus are unusual among neotropical fishes because they feed on plankton by straining water over a fine sieve created by numerous long, thin gill rakers.
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