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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: Harald Engelsen (1883–1954) was a Norwegian naval surgeon and researcher into tropical and industrial diseases. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal. Tropical; 5°N - 4°N
Africa: known only from the type locality, Yei River (draining into the Ghazal system, White Nile basin), in South Sudan (Ref. 248, 28714).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 18.5 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3820)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 82; Anal soft rays: 62. Head short and oval-shaped dorsally; snout broadly rounded; eyes more laterally placed. Frontal fontanelle long and narrow; occipital fontanelle long and oval-shaped. Supraorbital and `dermosphenotic' bones separated, the latter somewhat reduced. Tooth plates broad. Pectoral spine straight; outer side with strong downward serrations. Gill rakers short and distantly set. Suprabranchial organ well developed. Openings of the secondary sensory canals display a regular pattern.
Facultative air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Nothing is known about the biology of this catfish (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 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 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): 3.3 ±0.5 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).