The Guinean sea catfish (Carlarius parkii), also known as the marine catfish,[1] is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Albert Günther in 1864, originally under the genus Arius.[2] It is a tropical fish which is found in the eastern Atlantic off Mauritania, Angola, Morocco and Western Sahara. A single record was reported in the eastern Mediterranean Sea in 1986.[3] It inhabits coastal marine waters at a depth range of 50to, also frequently entering estuaries and freshwater rivers. It reaches a maximum total length of 70cm (30inches), more commonly reaching a TL of 40cm (20inches).
The Guinean sea catfish feeds on bony fish and shrimp.[4] It is of commercial interest to fisheries, although a venom in the serrated spines of its dorsal and pectoral regions can cause painful injuries.
Male Guinean sea catfish orally incubate eggs.