Siluridae

Siluridae
Phalacronotus apogon
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Siluriformes
Suborder:	Siluroidei
Superfamily:	Siluroidea
Family:	Siluridae G. Cuvier, 1816
Type genus
Silurus
Genera
Silurus Silurichthys Ompok Wallago Belodontichthys Hemisilurus Kryptopterus Phalacronotus Micronema Pterocryptis Ceratoglanis Pinniwallago (Wallagonia)

Siluridae is the nominate family of catfishes in the order Siluriformes. About 105 living species of silurids are placed in 12 or 14 genera.

Although silurids occur across much of Europe and Asia, they are most diverse in Southeast Asia, beyond which their diversity decreases in temperate East Asia, the Indian subcontinent, Southwest Asia, and Europe. Silurids are apparently absent from much of central Asia. The family can be divided into two groups, a temperate North Eurasian clade and a more diverse subtropical/tropical South and Southeast Asian clade.

Notable species

• Wels catfish, Silurus glanis
• Phantom catfish, Kryptopterus vitreolus
• Wallago attu
• Wallagonia leerii
• Aristotle's catfish
• Amur catfish
• Phalacronotus apogon
• Ompok spp.

Common features

The family Siluridae is very diverse, with not very many distinctive features among all species, but some major ones include gigantism, and smaller versions of attributes that catfish regularly have, such as smaller fins and whiskers. These catfish do not have spines before their dorsal fins or adipose fins, and their pelvic fins are either small or absent. The anal fin base is usually very long. The largest species in this family is Silurus glanis, the Wels catfish, which can grow to lengths over 3 m (9.8 ft) and weigh up to 300 lb (140 kg).