The red sea catfish (Bagre pinnimaculatus), also called the long-barbeled sea catfish,Common names of Bagre pinnimaculatus at fishbase.org. is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Franz Steindachner in 1876, originally under the genus Aelurichthys.Steindachner, F., 1876 [ref. 18772] Ichthyologische Beiträge (IV) [With subtitles i-iv.]. Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Classe v. 72 (1. Abth.): 551-616, Pl. 1-13. It inhabits tropical marine, brackish and freshwater in the eastern-central and southeastern Pacific regions, including Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama, Nicaragua, and Peru. It dwells at a maximum depth of . It reaches a maximum total length of , but more commonly reaches .
The diet of the red sea catfish at a recruitment age consists of the scales of bony fish.Food items reported for Bagre pinnimaculatus at fishbase.org. It is of important commercial value to fisheries, and has been consumed since the pre-Columbian era. It is sold fresh, dried, smoked, and salted, but is often labelled as other species including those in the family Sciaenidae, due to the higher market price.
Due to its wide distribution and abundance in many areas in the eastern Pacific, as well as its lack of known threats or observed population decline, the IUCN Red List currently rates the red sea catfish as least concern. It notes that the species' range includes a number of areas under marine protection.
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