[3] It was described by Carl Peter Thunberg in 1792, originally under the genus Silurus.

[4] It inhabits tropical marine, brackish and freshwater in the Indo-western Pacific region, including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

[3] The diet of the spotted sea catfish includes detritus, polychaete worms, mollusks, various crustaceans, and milkfish larvae.

[3] The spotted sea catfish is of commercial interest to fisheries.

It is primarily marketed fresh, and the air bladders are used in the wine industry as isinglass.