Species: Cathorops mapale, Mapalé Sea Catfish

Cathorops mapale Betancur & Acero, 2005

Mapalé Sea Catfish

Body elongate; head rounded, rounded when viewed from above, moderately flattened above; shield on top of head rough, granular at rear, covered with thin skin, not or barely extending to level of rear edge of eyes, its rear process 8.2-9.8% SL, with a broad base, narrow and short at rear, with a central keel that has a straight profile, meeting a small, crescent-shaped plate at front of base of dorsal fin spine; a deep, long groove along top of head that extends almost to keel of rear process of head shield; 2 pairs of close-set nostrils; no fleshy furrow extends across snout and connects rear nostrils; three pairs of barbels (on chin and both jaws), upper barbels 27-8-39.3% of SL, reach past pectoral spine base; teeth on roof of mouth at sides only, in 1 pair of well separated small patches, those teeth small, few, molar-like; gill opening restricted to sides by adhesion of gill membranes to breast; well developed, uniformly distributed gill rakers present on front and rear surfaces of first two gill arches, 21-24 (rarely 20) at front of first arch, 19-22 (rarely 18) on front of second arch; dorsal fin spine longer than pectoral fin spine; pectoral fin spine with inconspicuous serrations; anal fin 21-25 rays; tail fin deeply forked, upper lobe longer; a complete lateral line, with branches to top and bottom base of tail fin, no scales.

Brown; paler below.

Reaches 30.6 cm.

Fresh, brackish and seawater of coastal lagoons and the shoreline.

Depth range: 1-20 m.

W Colombia.

Note: Genetically distinct from the cooccuring C. wayuu, but the two species cannot be reliably distinguished morphologically.