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Plotosus canius Gray Eel-catfish, Black Eeltail Catfish, Canine Catfish-eel

Plotosus canius is commonly referred to as Gray Eel-catfish, Black Eeltail Catfish, Canine Catfish-eel. Difficulty in the aquarium: Not suitable for home aquaria!. Toxicity: Highly toxic.

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lexID:
3467 
AphiaID:
278694 
Scientific:
Plotosus canius 
German:
Großer Korallenwels 
English:
Gray Eel-catfish, Black Eeltail Catfish, Canine Catfish-eel 
Category:
Catfishes 
Family tree:
Animalia (Kingdom) > Chordata (Phylum) > Actinopterygii (Class) > Siluriformes (Order) > Plotosidae (Family) > Plotosus (Genus) > canius (Species) 
Initial determination:
Hamilton, 1822 
Occurrence:
Amphidrom fish, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bangladesh, Borneo (Kalimantan), Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Eastern Indian Ocean, Fiji, India, Indian Ocean, Indo Pacific, Japan, Java, Malaysia, Myanmar, Northern Territory (Australia), Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Sulawesi Utara, Sumatra, Thailand, Timor, Vietnam, Western Australia 
Marine Zone:
Subtidal, sublittoral, infralittoral, deep zone of the oceans from the lower limit of the intertidal zone (intertidal) to the shelf edge at about 200 m water depth. neritic. 
Sea depth:
1 - 20 Meter 
Habitats:
Brackish water, Estuaries (river mouths), Freshwater, Mangrove Zones, Marine / Salt Water 
Size:
31.5" - 59.06" (80cm - 150cm) 
Weight:
9 kg 
Temperature:
77 °F - 29,1 °F (25°C - 29,1°C) 
Food:
Carrion, Clams, Crabs, Crustaceans, Debris (Feed remains), Detritus, Fish (little fishes), Fish eggs, Fish larvae, Schrimps, Sepia, Snails 
Difficulty:
Not suitable for home aquaria! 
Offspring:
Not available as offspring 
Toxicity:
Highly toxic 
CITES:
Not evaluated 
Red List:
Least concern (LC)  
Related species at
Catalog of Life:
 
Author:
Publisher:
Meerwasser-Lexikon.de
Created:
Last edit:
2025-10-05 11:49:36 

Toxicity


Plotosus canius is (very) poisonous and the poison can kill you under circumstances!!!
If you want to keep Plotosus canius, inform yourself about the poison and its effects before buying. Keep a note with the telephone number of the poison emergency call and all necessary information about the animal next to your aquarium so that you can be helped quickly in an emergency.
The telephone numbers of the poison emergency call can be found here:
[overview_and_url_DE]
Overview Europe: European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists

This message appears for poisonous, very poisonous and also animals whose poison can kill you immediately. Every human reacts differently to poisons. Please therefore weigh the risk for yourself AND your environment very carefully, and never act lightly!

Info

The gray eel-catfish, Plotosus canius, with a maximum length of 1.5 meters and it's plain appearance clearly not an animal to be kept in a normal reef tank. It can be found in estuarine areas, brackish water areas as well as the surrounding seas and feeds on crustaceans, mollusks and fish.

Juveniles are colored dark to blackish and can easily be identified by their body shape which is typical for plotosids as well as their long barbels. They can often be found in tidal pools and close to sea grass accumulations.

The picture has been taken in Thailand by user enterprise and has been submitted to us asking for identification.

lotosus canius Hamilton 1822 latinization of Kani, from Kani magur, local Bengali name for this catfish in India

Synonyms.
Plotossus canius Hamilton, 1822 · unaccepted (misspelling)
Plotosus horridus Bleeker, 1846 · unaccepted
Plotosus multiradiatus Bleeker, 1846 · unaccepted
Plotosus unicolor Valenciennes, 1840 · unaccepted (synonym)
Plotosus viviparus Bleeker, 1846 · unaccepted (synonym)
Plutosus canius Hamilton, 1822 · unaccepted > misspelling - incorrect subsequent spelling
Potosus viviparus Bleeker, 1846 · unaccepted

External links

  1. FishBase (multi). Abgerufen am 07.08.2020.
  2. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (multi). Abgerufen am 05.10.2025.
  3. Stomach contents of Plotosus canius (Hamilton, 1822) in the coastal waters of Port Dickson, Peninsular Malaysia (en). Abgerufen am 05.10.2025.
  4. Wild Singapore (en). Abgerufen am 05.10.2025.

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