Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

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.
More on author: Trewavas.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; demersal. Tropical; 20°C - 26°C (Ref. 2060); 18°S - 20°S

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Africa: known only from the type locality, Aigumas Cave, North Otavi, Namibia. Major threat is depletion of ground water (Ref. 7248).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 16.1 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7248)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 71 - 76; Anal soft rays: 66 - 61. Devoid of pigment. Eyes extremely small; covered with skin; dorsally located. Head rectangular in dorsal outline; snout broadly rounded. Frontal fontanelle long and narrow; occipital fontanelle long and oval-shaped. Supraorbital and `dermosphenotic' bones fused. Premaxillary tooth plate rather broad. gill rakers long, slender and distantly set. Suprabranchial organ greatly reduced. Openings of the secondary sensory canals regularly arranged along flanks.
Body shape (shape guide): elongated; Cross section: circular.

Facultative air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Lacks pigment. Lives in caves (Ref. 248) and is adapted to life underground (Ref. 78218); over shelves in open, clear water. Feeds on bat droppings, animal carcasses and terrestrial insects that fall into the lake (Ref. 7248).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

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 2024-2)

Critically Endangered (CR) (B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)); Date assessed: 01 March 2007

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: commercial

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items (preys)
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators

Ecology
Ecology
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Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance

Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
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Eggs
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Distribution
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Anatomy
Gill area
Brain
Otolith

Physiology
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Nutrients
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Visual pigments
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Toxicity (LC50s)

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Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00794 (0.00357 - 0.01766), b=2.96 (2.78 - 3.14), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 2.8 ±0.26 se; based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Assuming tm=1; Fec=50).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100). 🛈

Clarias cavernicola Trewavas, 1936