[[ Cathorops Jordan and Gilbert]]

The genus Cathorops Jordan and Gilbert is a strongly supported clade of sea catfishes endemic to the New World (Marceniuk, 1997; Betancur-R., 2003; Betancur-R. et al., 2004; Kailola, 2004) that has been recently presented as including eleven species (Marceniuk and Ferraris, 2003; Kailola, 2004). Nevertheless, the genus probably includes several other unrecognized species from both American coasts. The Mapalé Sea Catfish, a Cathorops species important to artisanal fisheries, is a putative Colombian Caribbean endemic that lacks a scientific name. Traditional meristic and morphometric data, the molecular phylogeny of the genus Cathorops (Betancur-R., 2003), and mitochondrial genetic divergence values all support recognition of this new species, which previously was misidentified as C. spixii (Agassiz)