Catfish (Siluriformes)

This group gathers Fish subcategory members belonging to the order Siluriformes, the catfish, named for the prominent, whisker-like barbels most species carry around the mouth, used to taste and feel for food in dark or murky water. Nearly every member lacks true scales, instead bearing either bare skin or, in some families, bony armor plates, and many species are primarily nocturnal bottom feeders. It spans small aquarium species such as the bristlenose catfish of the genus Ancistrus, large freshwater giants such as the wels catfish of Europe, walking catfish capable of moving briefly across land between bodies of water, and armored and glass catfish from Asia, Africa and South America, together one of the most species-rich orders of vertebrates on Earth.