The Estuary Catfish has a large flattened head and a body that tapers to a pointed tail. The dorsal, caudal and anal fins are continuous.
The dorsal and pectoral fins each have an embedded spine. These serrated spines are poisonous. Puncture wounds from an Estuary Catfish spine can be very painful.
This species has a relatively small mouth that is surrounded by four pairs of barbels. A fifth pair of barbels is present above the snout.
The Estuary Catfish is mottled brown and yellow.
It occurs in estuaries and silty bays of temperate marine waters from southern Queensland to southern Western Australia.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Skulls of this species are sometimes found washed up on beaches. View images of the
An Estuary Catfish at a depth of 3m, Bare Island, La Perouse, New South Wales, 1997. Photo © Á. Lumnitzer
An Estuary Catfish in shallow water, east side of Bare Island, La Perouse, New South Wales. Photo
An Estuary Catfish at a depth of 2.4m, Red Rock Estuary, New South Wales, January 2002. Photo © I
The dorsal and pectoral fins each have an embedded spine. These serrated spines are poisonous. Puncture wounds from an Estuary Catfish spine can be very painful.
This species has a relatively small mouth that is surrounded by four pairs of barbels. A fifth pair of barbels is present above the snout.
The Estuary Catfish is mottled brown and yellow.
It occurs in estuaries and silty bays of temperate marine waters from southern Queensland to southern Western Australia.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Skulls of this species are sometimes found washed up on beaches. View images of the
An Estuary Catfish at a depth of 3m, Bare Island, La Perouse, New South Wales, 1997. Photo © Á. Lumnitzer
An Estuary Catfish in shallow water, east side of Bare Island, La Perouse, New South Wales. Photo
An Estuary Catfish at a depth of 2.4m, Red Rock Estuary, New South Wales, January 2002. Photo © I
