Plotosus lineatus

Plotosus lineatus
Adult Plotosus lineatus in Zanzibar, Tanzania
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Plotosidae
Genus: Plotosus
Species:
P. lineatus
Binomial name
Plotosus lineatus
(Thunberg, 1787)
Synonyms
  • Silurus lineatus Thunberg, 1787
  • Silurus arab Forsskål, 1775
  • Platystacus anguillaris Bloch, 1794
  • Plotosus anguillaris (Bloch, 1794)
  • Plotosus thunbergianus Lacepède, 1803
  • Plotosus marginatus Anonymous [Bennett], 1830
  • Plotoseus ikapor Lesson, 1831
  • Plotosus vittatus Swainson, 1839
  • Plotosus castaneus Valenciennes, 1840
  • Plotosus lineatus Valenciennes, 1840
  • Plotosus castaneoides Bleeker, 1851
  • Plotosus arab Bleeker, 1862
  • Plotosus flavolineatus Whitley, 1941
  • Plotosus brevibarbus Bessednov, 1967

Plotosus lineatus, commonly known as the striped eel catfish, is a species of catfish belonging to the eeltail family Plotosidae. Like most other members of the genus, this species possesses highly venomous spines that can be used to sting when threatened; the venom can cause mild to severe symptoms in humans. This species is native to the Indo-Pacific but is now present in the Mediterranean via Lessepsian migration through the Suez Canal.