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Description:
Gafftopsail catfish are elongate sea catfishes that grow to 2 - 3.5 feet.
The head is depressed and the mouth inferior. Body color is blue-gray
or steely dorsally, white to silver ventrally. Two pairs of barbels
are present: one pair on the upper jaw, and one pair under the chin.
The barbels on the jaw are elongated filaments that may reach beyond the
origin of the pectoral fins. A black or dark blue adipose fin is
present between the dorsal and caudal fins. Characteristic are the
elongate, ribbon-like filaments that extend from fin spines on both the
dorsal and pectoral fins.
Habitat:
Gafftopsail catfishes are common in shallow coastal waters, and bays.
They enter estuaries seasonally.
Range:
Gafftopsail catfishes range from South Carolina south to Brazil including
the Gulf of Mexico. They are absent from the Antilles.
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The gafftopsail catfish, Bagre marinus. Illustration by Diana Rome Peebles. Courtesy of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Division of Marine Fisheries.
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Like other sea catfishes, including the hardhead catfish (Arius felis),
the gafftopsail catfish is a mouth brooder. After spawning, males
carry fertilized eggs in the mouth until larvae hatch in approximately 1
month. Larvae may be carried an additional 2 - 4 weeks until they
mature into juvenile fishes. Throughout the brooding period, the
parent fish does not feed.
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