Whitelip Catfish, Paraplotosus albilabris (Valenciennes 1840)

Other Names: Cobbler, White-lipped Catfish, White-lipped Catfish Eel, Whitelipped Eel Catfish

Summary:

A variably coloured eel-tail catfish ranging from pale grey or yellowish brown to dark brown or nearly blackish, sometimes with pronounced dark mottling, a pale belly and underside of head, and brown to blackish fins that are often darker than the body.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2024, Paraplotosus albilabris in Fishes of Australia, accessed 04 Dec 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/2764

Whitelip Catfish, Paraplotosus albilabris (Valenciennes 1840)

More Info

Distribution	Geographe Bay, south Western Australia, around the tropical north, to Moreton Bay, Queensland. Elsewhere the species occurs in the west Pacific. Inhabits clear and turbid coral reefs, in estuaries or coastal waters, often around coral outcrops or under ledges, in areas with sand, silt, mud and algae.
Features	Dorsal fin I, 104-115; Anal fin 90-100.
Similar Species	Differs from Paraplotosus butleri in having a shorter dorsal fin and shorter nasal barbels, rounded pectoral fin shape, fewer upper procurrent caudal fin rays, and fewer gill rakers. Differs from P. muelleri in having a shorter dorsal fin and smaller eye
Etymology	The specific name albilabris is from the Latin albus (= white) and labrum (= lip), in reference to the preserved colour pattern of a dark body except for whitish lips of this species.
Species Citation	Plotosus albilabris Valenciennes, in Cuvier & Valenciennes 1840, Histoire Naturelle des Poissons 15: 427. Type locality: Jakarta (as Batavia), Indonesia.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2024
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Whitelip Catfish, Paraplotosus albilabris (Valenciennes 1840)

References

Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.

Allen, G.R. 1998. A review of the marine catfish genus Paraplotosus (Plotosidae) with the description of a new species from north-western Australia. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 46(1): 123-134 figs 1-4 See ref online

Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls.

Bucol, A. 2024. Paraplotosus albilabris. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2024: e.T241134041A241134044. Accessed on 01 July 2024.

Burgess, W.E. 1989. An Atlas of Freshwater and Marine Catfishes — a preliminary survey of the Siluriformes. Neptune City, New Jersey : T.F.H. Publications 783 pp.

Ferraris, C. 1999. Family Plotosidae. pp. 1880-1883 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 pp. 1397-2068.

Grant, E.M. 1975. Guide to Fishes. Brisbane : Queensland Government, Co-ordinator General’s Department 640 pp.

Hoschke, A., Whisson, G. & Moore, G.I. 2019. Complete list of fishes from Rottnest Island, pp. 150-161 in Whisson, G. & Hoschke, A. (eds). The Rottnest Island fish book. 2nd ed. Perth : Aqua Research and Monitoring Services.

Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp.

Johnson, J.W. 2010. Fishes of the Moreton Bay Marine Park and adjacent continental shelf waters, Queensland, Australia. pp. 299-353 in Davie, P.J.F. & Phillips, J.A. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Marine Biological Workshop, The Marine Fauna and Flora of Moreton Bay. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 54(3)

Larson, H.K. & Williams, R.S. 1997. Darwin Harbour fishes: a survey and annotated checklist. pp. 339-380 in Hanley, H.R., Caswell, G., Megirian, D. & Larson, H.K. (eds). The Marine Flora and Fauna of Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory, Australia. Proceedings of the Sixth International Marine Biology Workshop. Darwin : Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory 466 pp.

Macleay, W.J. 1881. Descriptive catalogue of the fishes of Australia. Part 4. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 1 6(2): 202-387 See ref at BHL (described as Copidoglanis longifilis, type locality - Long Island, Torres Strait, Queensland)

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.

Valenciennes, A. in Cuvier, G.L. & Valenciennes, A. 1840. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : Levrault Vol. 15 540 pp. pls 421-455.