Boofhead Catfish, Sciades leptaspis (Bleeker 1862)

Other Names: Freshwater Forked Tailed Catfish, Lesser Salmon Catfish, Salmon Catfish, Triangular Shield Catfish

Summary:

The Boofhead Catfish was previously referred to as Neoarius leptaspis.

Cite this page as:

Gomon, M.F. & Bray, D.J. 2024, Sciades leptaspis in Fishes of Australia, accessed 08 Dec 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/2142

Boofhead Catfish, Sciades leptaspis (Bleeker 1862)

More Info

Distribution	King River, Western Australia, to Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. The species is widespread in the Alligator Rivers region, Northern Territory. It has a patchy and somewhat restricted distribution in Queensland, and does not occur east of the Great Dividing Range. Elsewhere the species occurs in New Guinea. Occurs in a wide range of freshwater and estuarine habitats. With increasing size, juveniles may show a shift from lowland muddy lagoons to floodplain lagoons, and then corridor lagoons. Floodplain populations may tolerate slightly acidic conditions.
Features	Dorsal fin I, 7; Anal fin 16-20; Pectoral fin I, 9-11. Body robust, elongate; anterior profile straight, moderately steep, elevated slightly before dorsal fin; snout rounded to squarish; mouth moderately broad and curved; head not greatly flattened; upper lip moderately fleshy, extending just beyond mouth gape; eyes lateral and rounded; maxillary barbel extending well past head, often beyond base of pectoral fin (22-51% SL); gill rakers on first arch 13-22; palatal teeth villiform, in transverse band of 4 rounded or oval patches, inner patches only slightly smaller than outer; head shield extensive and finely granulated. Scales absent, covered in smooth skin. Pelvic fin shape variable, in males base narrow, fin rays rarely reaching anal fin origin; in females base broad, inner elements become thickened and develop a pad or hook with sexual maturity.
Size	To around 60 cm, commonly to 35 cm SL
Colour	Dark grey, blackish, bronze or dark copper with vertical rows of tiny golden spots across back and upper sides, a cream to white belly and a white margin on dorsal, anal and caudal fins.
Feeding	Omnivore - feeds on fishes, arthropods, plant material and detritus.
Biology	Breeds between September to January in coastal lagoons and flooded swamps. Males incubate the eggs in their buccal cavity until hatching and guard the fry for around 4 weeks afterwards. Male usually incubates up to 60 large, yolky eggs. Hatch after 2-4 weeks at temperatures up to 32° and commence feeding soon after. Juveniles from 6 weeks feed readily on live zooplankton and the yolk sac is completely absorbed by 6-8 weeks (60 mm TL).
Remarks	Marceniuk et al. (2023) placed the species in their new genus Bleekeriella.
Etymology	The specific name is from the Greek leptos (= fine, thin) and aspis (= shield). Bleeker sis not explain the reason for the name.
Species Citation	Hexanematichthys leptaspis Bleeker 1862, Atlas Ichthyologique des Indes Orientales Néerlandais. Tome 2. Siluroïdes, Charcoïdes et Hétérobranchoïdes: 27, pl. 65(2). Type locality: South-west New Guinea.
Author	Gomon, M.F. & Bray, D.J. 2024
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Boofhead Catfish, Sciades leptaspis (Bleeker 1862)

References

Allen, G.R. 1989. Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Neptune, New Jersey : T.F.H. Publications 240 pp., 63 pls. (as Arius leptaspis)

Allen, G.R., Midgley, S.H. & Allen, M. 2002. Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 394 pp. (as Arius leptaspis)

Allen, G.R., Storey, A.W. & Yarrao, M. 2008. Freshwater Fishes of the Fly River Papua New Guinea. Tabubil, Papua New Guinea : Ok Tedi Mining 216 pp.

Bleeker, P. 1862. Atlas Ichthyologique des Indes Orientales Néerlandaises, publié sous les auspices du Gouvernement colonial néerlandais. Tome 2. Siluroïdes, Charcoïdes et Hétérobranchoïdes. Amsterdam : Fréd. Müller 112 pp. pls 49-101. See ref at BHL

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.J. 2007. Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa 1418: 1–628. (as Neoarius leptaspis)

Hammer, M. & Kennard, M. 2019. Neoarius leptaspis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T197010A2477832. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T197010A2477832.en. Accessed on 11 September 2024.

Hitchcock, G., Finn, M.A., Burrows, D.W., & Johnson, J.W. 2012. Fishes from fresh and brackish waters of islands in Torres Strait, far north Queensland. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 56(1): 14-24.

Kailola, P.J. 1999. Family Ariidae. pp. 1827-1879 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. (as Arius leptaspis)

Kailola, P.J. 2004. A phylogenetic exploration of the catfish family Ariidae (Otophysi: Siluriformes). The Beagle, Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory 20: 87-166 (as Ariopsis leptaspis)

Larson, H.K. & Martin, K.C. 1990. Freshwater Fishes of the Northern Territory. Northern Territory Museum of Arts and Sciences Handbook Series Number 1. Darwin : Northern Territory Museum of Arts and Sciences 102 pp. 73 figs.

Marceniuk, A.P. & Menezes, N.A. 2007. Systematics of the family Ariidae (Ostariophysi, Siluriformes), with a redefinition of the genera. Zootaxa 1416: 1-126. (as Sciades leptaspis)

Marceniuk, A.P., Menezes, N.A. & Britto, M.R. 2012. Phylogenetic analysis of the family Ariidae (Ostariophysi: Siluriformes), with a hypothesis on the monophyly and relationships of genera. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 165: 534-669. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.2012.00822.x

Marceniuk, A.P., Oliveira, C. & Ferraris, C.J. Jr. 2023. A new classification of the family Ariidae (Osteichthyes: Ostariophysi: Siluriformes) based on combined analyses of morphological and molecular data. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 200(2): 426-476 https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad078

McDowall, R.M. (ed.) 1980. Freshwater Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Sydney : A.H. & A.W. Reed 208 pp., figs, 32 pls. (as Hexanematichthys leptaspis)

Merrick, J.R. & Schmida, G.E. 1984. Australian Freshwater Fishes Biology and Management. Sydney : J.R. Merrick 409 pp. figs 280 col. figs. (as Arius leptaspis ?)

Pusey, B.J., Burrows, D.W., Kennard, M.J., Perna, C.N., et al. 2017. Freshwater fishes of northern Australia. Zootaxa 4253(1): 1-104. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4253.1.1

Pusey, B.J., Kennard, M.J. & Bird, J. 2000. Fishes of the dune fields of Cape Flattery, northern Queensland and other dune systems in north-eastern Australia. Ichthyological Explorations of Freshwaters 11(1): 65-74. (as Arius leptaspis)

Taylor, W.R. 1964. Fishes of Arnhem Land. Records of the American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land 4: 44-307 figs 1-68 (in part as Arius leptaspis)