Cathorops kailolae Marceniuk & Betancur-R. 2008

Can be differentiated from all members of the genus, except Cathorops aguadulce, by having fleshy papillae intercalated with gill rakers on first two gill arches; 14-16 gill rakers on first arch, and body width 17.7-19.7% SL. Additional diagnostic characters include snout length 6.0-8.6% SL; distance from tip of snout to dorsal-fin origin 33.1-38.0% SL; distance from tip of snout to pelvic-fin origin 50.4-52.6% SL; distance between anterior nostrils 3.2-4.5% SL; distance between posterior nostrils 4.1-5.3% SL; orbital diameter 4.6-6.6% SL; interorbital distance 8.9-12.3% SL; dorsal-fin spine length 19.3-24.9% SL; mouth width 8.1-10.0% SL; premaxilla width 4.3-5.4% SL: caudal-fin lower lobe length 29.2-34.3% SL; supraoccipital process width at posterior portion 1.9-2.6%SL; length of accessory tooth plates 1.3-2.5% SL; width of cephalic shield at supracleithrum area 15.3-17.3% SL; and caudal peduncle height 6.6-8.0% SL (Ref. 75004).

Dorsal soft rays (total): 7; Analsoft rays: 20 - 24

Occurs mainly in freshwaters, but also present in areas with high salinity (Ref. 75004).

The papillate sea catfish (Cathorops kailolae), also known as the Kailola's sea catfish, is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Alexandre Pires Marceniuk and Ricardo Betancur-Rodríguez in 2008. It is a tropical fresh and saltwater catfish which occurs in Central America. It reaches a standard length of 25.4 cm (10.0 in).

The species epithet "kailolae" refers to ichthyologist Patricia J. Kailola, and is cited as being given in honour of her contributions to the systematics for the family Ariidae.