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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: Major Peter I R MacLaren (d: 1956) was an ornithologist and fisheries officer. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on author: Trewavas.

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

Freshwater; demersal. Tropical; 6°N - 4°N

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Africa: endemic to Lake Barombi-Mbo in Cameroon (Ref. 81644).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 36.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3820)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 62 - 77; Anal soft rays: 52 - 57. Diagnosis: long and narrow, "knife-shaped" frontal fontanel (Ref. 248, 81644), 2.5-3.0 times as long as wide (Ref. 81644). Tooth plates remarkably broad; median vomerine tooth plate length strikingly shorter than premaxillary length (Ref. 248). Vomerine tooth band very short, length 2.0-5.0% HL (mean 3.3), clearly shorter than premaxillary tooth band (Ref. 81644). Head rectangular in dorsal outline (Ref. 248), relatively large (HL 25.3-27.6% SL, mean 26.4) and wide (width 18.6-20.9% SL, mean 19.8)(Ref. 81644). Supraorbital and "dermosphenotic" never sutured; reduced suprabranchial organ (Ref. 248). Pectoral spine serrate only along anterior margin; flank neuromasts arranged in a regular pattern; postorbital bones not in contact; eyes laterally positioned, interorbital width 44.5-49.0% HL, mean 47.3; 14-16 rakers on 1st gill arch (Ref. 81644). Coloration: preserved specimens dark reddish brown on back and flanks; ventrum and lower parts of paired fins pale (Ref. 81644).

Facultative air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Lacustrine species living in deeper as well as in shallow waters (Ref. 248, 78218). Larger specimens feed mainly on fish, especially Cichlidae; small specimens feed on insect larvae, Chironomids-Odonata (Ref. 248, 78218).

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: 16 February 2009

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: of no interest

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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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): 4.2 ±0.73 se; based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low to moderate vulnerability (26 of 100).

Clarias maclareni Trewavas, 1962