Editing Catfish (section)

==Distribution and habitat==
Extant catfish species live inland or in coastal waters of every continent except [[Antarctica]]. Catfish have inhabited all continents at one time or another.<ref name="Nelson"/> They are most diverse in [[tropical]] South America, Asia, and Africa, with one family native to North America and one family in Europe.<ref name=tol/> More than half of all catfish species live in the Americas. They are the only [[ostariophysan]]s that have entered [[freshwater]] habitats in [[Madagascar]], Australia, and [[New Guinea]].<ref name="Bruton">{{cite journal|title=Alternative life-history strategies of catfishes|last=Bruton|first=Michael N.|journal=Aquat. Living Resour.|year=1996|volume=9|pages=35–41|doi=10.1051/alr:1996040|s2cid=85428351 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

They are found in fresh water/[[brackish water]] environments, though most inhabit shallow, running water.<ref name="Bruton"/> Representatives of at least eight families are [[hypogean]] (live underground) with three families that are also [[troglobite|troglobitic]] (inhabiting caves).<ref>{{cite journal|title=Morphological Adaptations of the Texas Blind Catfishes ''Trogloglanis pattersoni'' and ''Satan eurystomus'' (Siluriformes: Ictaluridae) to Their Underground Environment|first=Thomas G.|last=Langecker|author2=Longley, Glenn|journal=[[Copeia]]|year=1993|pages=976–986|doi=10.2307/1447075|volume=1993|issue=4|jstor=1447075}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Mexican blindcats genus ''Prietella'' (Siluriformes: Ictaluridae): an overview of recent explorations|first=Dean A.|last=Hendrickson|author2=Krejca, Jean K. |author3=Martinez, Juan Manuel Rodríguez |journal=Environmental Biology of Fishes|volume=62|pages=315–337|year=2001|issue=1–3|doi=10.1023/A:1011808805094|bibcode=2001EnvBF..62..315H |s2cid=19962442}}</ref> One such species is ''[[Phreatobius cisternarum]]'', known to live underground in [[phreatic]] habitats.<ref name=pcisternarum>{{FishBase|genus=Phreatobius|species=cisternarum|year=2007|month=Apr}}</ref> Numerous species from the families [[Ariidae]] and [[Plotosidae]], and a few species from among the [[Aspredinidae]] and [[Bagridae]], are found in salt water.<ref>Monks N. (editor): ''Brackish Water Fishes'', TFH 2006, {{ISBN|0-7938-0564-3}}</ref><ref>Schäfer F: ''Brackish Water Fishes'', Aqualog 2005, {{ISBN|3-936027-82-X}}</ref>