What are the whisker-like sensory organs of catfish called?

What are the whisker-like sensory organs of catfish called? They are called barbels.

Barbels are slender, whisker-like organs around a fish’s mouth. Catfish use them to detect chemicals, touch and food in dark or muddy water, where vision is less useful. Their name is closely associated with the catfish’s whisker-like appearance, although not every catfish has prominent barbels.

Many barbels contain dense concentrations of taste buds and other sensory receptors. In some catfish, taste receptors extend across much of the skin, giving the animals an extraordinary ability to “taste” their surroundings. This helps bottom-feeding species locate prey and edible particles hidden in sediment.

Catfish may have several pairs, including maxillary barbels beside the mouth and mandibular or chin barbels below it. Barbels are sometimes mistakenly called “barbs,” but barbs are different structures, especially the individual branches of bird feathers. Catfish also lack scales as a group, but scales are not their whisker-like sensory organs.