Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 25, 2026

Papuarius latirostris

Papuarius latirostris, the broad-snouted catfish, is a species of catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by William John Macleay in 1883, originally under the genus Arius. It inhabits freshwater rivers in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Its diet includes finfish, mollusks, prawns, terrestrial arthropods, aquatic insects, and plants. It reaches a maximum standard length of 50 cm (20 in).

Last revised
Jul 25, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
231 w
Citations
11
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Papuarius latirostris
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Ariidae
Genus: Papuarius
Marceniuk, Oliveira & Ferraris, 2023
Species:
P. latirostris
Binomial name
Papuarius latirostris
(W. J. Macleay, 1883)
Synonyms2
  • Arius acrocephalus Weber, 1913
  • Arius latirostris Macleay, 1883
  • Neoarius latirostris (Macleay, 1883)
  • Potamosilurus latirostris (Macleay, 1883)1
  • Arius digulensis Hardenberg, 1936

Papuarius latirostris, the broad-snouted catfish,3 is a species of catfish in the family Ariidae.4 It was described by William John Macleay in 1883, originally under the genus Arius.2 It inhabits freshwater rivers in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.41 Its diet includes finfish, mollusks, prawns, terrestrial arthropods, aquatic insects, and plants.5 It reaches a maximum standard length of 50 cm (20 in).4

The IUCN redlist currently lists the broad-snouted catfish as Least Concern, but makes note of a present decline in the species' population. It cites fishing/harvesting, mining, quarrying, and residential developments as the main threats to the species.1

References

References

  1. Jenkins, A.; Kullander, F.F.; Tan, H.H. (2009). "Neoarius latirostris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009 e.T169357A6610881. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009-2.RLTS.T169357A6610881.en. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  2. Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Papuarius". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  3. Common names of Papuarius latirostris at www.fishbase.org.
  4. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Papuarius latirostris". FishBase. August 2025 version.
  5. Food items reported for Papuarius latirostris at www.fishbase.org.