Appearance
Hardhead catfish are found mostly in the near shore waters of the Western Atlantic Ocean, around the southeast coast of the United States, around the Florida Keys and the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Hardhead catfish are also found in brackish estuaries and river mouths where the bottom is sandy or muddy, but only occasionally enter freshwater. It tends to move from shallower to deeper waters in the winter months. The species is generally common to abundant within its range.The hardhead catfish has four barbels under the chin, with two more at the corners of the mouth. These barbels help the catfish find crabs, fish and shrimp in the muddy bays where they live. The dorsal and pectoral fins each are supported by a sharp, slime-covered barbed spine. The dorsal spine is normally erect when the fish is excited and a tennis shoe or even a leather-soled shoe offers little protection. The gafftopsail catfish looks similar to the hardhead catfish, but its dorsal spine has a distinctive fleshy extension.
Distribution
Hardhead catfish are found mostly in the near shore waters of the Western Atlantic Ocean, around the southeast coast of the United States, around the Florida Keys and the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Hardhead catfish are also found in brackish estuaries and river mouths where the bottom is sandy or muddy, but only occasionally enter freshwater. It tends to move from shallower to deeper waters in the winter months. The species is generally common to abundant within its range.The hardhead catfish has four barbels under the chin, with two more at the corners of the mouth. These barbels help the catfish find crabs, fish and shrimp in the muddy bays where they live. The dorsal and pectoral fins each are supported by a sharp, slime-covered barbed spine. The dorsal spine is normally erect when the fish is excited and a tennis shoe or even a leather-soled shoe offers little protection. The gafftopsail catfish looks similar to the hardhead catfish, but its dorsal spine has a distinctive fleshy extension.
Behavior
"Ariopsis felis" consumes a wide range of food. Hardhead catfish are opportunistic consumers that use mud and sand flats as hunting grounds. They are also mainly secondary consumers, ingesting primarily detritus, meio-, and macrobenthic fauna and fish. Their diet primarily consists of algae, seagrasses, cnidarians, sea cucumbers, gastropods, polychaetes, shrimps, and crabs. They can occasionally be tertiary consumers. Their diet depends on their size and location. Younger hardhead catfish tend to eat small crustaceans, like amphipods, shrimp, blue crabs, mollusks, and annelids. Juveniles that are still under the protection of the male mouthbrooder will feed predominately on planktonic crustaceans close by to the mouth of the parent. The adults primarily consume larger fish.The hardhead catfish has a reproductive season from around May to September. Males and females reach sexual maturity before age 2. Females at maturity are around 12.6–26.5 cm, and males on average are slightly larger, typically at around 25 cm. At maturity, females develop flap-like fatty tissue by their pelvic fins, which results in them having larger pelvic fins than males. It has been suggested that these enhanced pelvic fins are the site of fertilization and that they play a part in moving the fertilized eggs to the male mouthbrooder for incubation. Another possibility is that males pick up eggs from depressions in the sand, as eggs tend to be demersal.They also die after 4 years.
Reproduction
The hardhead catfish has a reproductive season from around May to September. Males and females reach sexual maturity before age 2. Females at maturity are around 12.6–26.5 cm, and males on average are slightly larger, typically at around 25 cm. At maturity, females develop flap-like fatty tissue by their pelvic fins, which results in them having larger pelvic fins than males. It has been suggested that these enhanced pelvic fins are the site of fertilization and that they play a part in moving the fertilized eggs to the male mouthbrooder for incubation. Another possibility is that males pick up eggs from depressions in the sand, as eggs tend to be demersal.They also die after 4 years.
Food
"Ariopsis felis" consumes a wide range of food. Hardhead catfish are opportunistic consumers that use mud and sand flats as hunting grounds. They are also mainly secondary consumers, ingesting primarily detritus, meio-, and macrobenthic fauna and fish. Their diet primarily consists of algae, seagrasses, cnidarians, sea cucumbers, gastropods, polychaetes, shrimps, and crabs. They can occasionally be tertiary consumers. Their diet depends on their size and location. Younger hardhead catfish tend to eat small crustaceans, like amphipods, shrimp, blue crabs, mollusks, and annelids. Juveniles that are still under the protection of the male mouthbrooder will feed predominately on planktonic crustaceans close by to the mouth of the parent. The adults primarily consume larger fish.References:
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