About Bagre marinus (Mitchill, 1815)
Gafftopsail catfish (Bagre marinus) has a blue-grey to dark brown body with a light grey belly. It has the typical appearance of a catfish, with the additions of a deeply forked tail, venomous serrated spines, a small wave-like hump on its body. Its anal fin sits a few inches in front of the tail; this fin is white or pale blue, has 22 to 28 rays, and features a high anterior lobe. The pelvic fin sits 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) in front of the tail fin. This species has maxillary barbels and one additional pair of barbels on the chin. It resembles the hardhead catfish, but its dorsal spine has a distinct fleshy extension that looks like the fore-and-aft topsail of a ship. Gafftopsail catfish live along the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico coastlines, ranging from Cape Cod to Brazil. They also inhabit brackish waters including estuaries, lagoons, brackish seas, and mangroves. This species is generally common to abundant across its native range.
