Teleostei (teleosts) >
Siluriformes (Catfishes) >
Clariidae (Airbreathing catfishes)
Etymology: Clarias: Greek, chlaros = lively, in reference to the ability of the fish to live for a long time out of water.
Eponymy: Theodora Jacoba Sleeswijk née van Bosse (1874–1953) was a Dutch etcher and painter, mainly of landscapes. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on author: Weber.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal. Tropical; 6°N - 30°S
Africa: Zambezi, Kafue and Shire Rivers; Upper Congo system; Lakes Tanganyika, Bangweulu, Kobo, Niumbe, Mweru and Malawi; Chobe, Okavango and Cunene Rivers; Pungwe, Sabi, Lundi Rivers and Zimbabwean tributaries of the Limpopo River; Incomati, Pongolo and Umgeni rivers and Lake Sibaya in Natal and Transvaal tributaries of the Limpopo (Ref. 3820). Also in the middle Congo (Ref. 106245), including the Ubangi (Ref. 248) and several southern tributaries of the Kasai (Ref. 248, 11970) and in the Cuanza in Angola (Ref. 120641).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 35.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 52193)
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 71 - 94; Anal soft rays: 60 - 89; Vertebrae: 56 - 61. Diagnosis: Head rectangular in dorsal outline; snout broadly rounded; eyes dorsally located; frontal fontanelle `knife-shaped'; occipital fontanelle very long and oval-shaped; the `dermosphenotic' and supraorbital bones become joined in specimens of 80-90 mm standard length; tooth plates relatively small; dorsal and anal fins not confluent with caudal fins; gill rakers relatively long, slender and distantly set; openings of the secondary sensory canals arranged in regular pattern on the flanks (Ref. 248). Characterised by a relatively small, short head, 4-5 times in standard length, long barbels reaching to behind the head, and an elongated slender body with a long anal fin (Ref. 52193).
Facultative air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Lives in vegetated areas in shallow and swampy places around the lake. Occasionally found in cataracts, hiding under rocks (Ref. 248). The species is omnivorous (Ref. 78218) and feeds on insects (Coleoptera, ants, Chironomid larvae) (Ref. 248 & 5595), plant seeds and other fishes (Ref. 78218).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Teugels, G.G., 1986. A systematic revision of the African species of the genus Clarias (Pisces; Clariidae). Ann. Mus. R. Afr. Centr., Sci. Zool., 247:199 p. (Ref. 248)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries; aquarium: commercial
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