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Common names: [No common name]
Occurrence:
Salinity:
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
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Uses: no uses
Comments:
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Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
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Classification / Names

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Siluriformes (Catfish) > Clariidae (Airbreathing catfishes)
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Common names from other countries

Poisson-chat africain, Pez-gato africano, Catfish, ... more

Main reference

Teugels, G.G., B. Denayer and M. Legendre. 1990. (Ref. 270)
References | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 150 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3820); max. published weight: 30.0 kg (Ref. 3799)

Environment

Freshwater; demersal

Climate / Range

Tropical; 22°C - 28°C (Ref. 12468), preferred ?; 35°N - 4°N

Distribution

Africa: Nile (Ref. 3820), Senegal, Gambia, Volta, Niger, Benue rivers and Lake Chad (Ref. 57129).
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 40-46; Anal soft rays: 49 - 58; Vertebrae: 62 - 63. Diagnosis: length of rayed dorsal fin 37-42% standard length; 40-46 dorsal-fin rays; length of adipose fin 22-27% standard length (Ref. 57129). No serrations on the anterior part of the pectoral spine (Ref. 270, 57129). Head oval-shaped to rectangular dorsally; snout broadly rounded; eyes rather laterally placed; frontal fontanelle long and narrow; occipital fontanelle relatively long and oval shaped; 'postorbital' bones completely united; suprabranchial organ well developed; pectoral spine smooth; openings of secondary sensory canals with regular geometric pattern (Ref. 270). Coloration: preserved specimens: greyish-brown on back and sides, pale brown on belly; some specimens show a marbled colouration, particularly on posterior part of body; caudal fin often with one or more vertical cross-bars (Ref. 57129). Body and fins occasionally with irregularly placed spots (Ref. 270).

Hardly anything is known about the biology of this species (Ref. 78218). Maximum reported size for West Africa: 800 mm TL (Ref. 57129).

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Least Concern (LC)

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial

More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
Stocks
Ecology
Diet
Food items
Food consumption
Ration

Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development

Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Recruitment
Abundance

References
Aquaculture
Aquaculture profile
Strains
Genetics
Allele frequencies
Heritability
Diseases
Processing
Mass conversion

Collaborators
Pictures
Stamps, Coins
Sounds
Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
Brains
Vision

Tools

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

Download XML

Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)
PD₅₀ = 0.5625 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278)
3.7 ±0.6 se; Based on size and trophs of closest relatives

Resilience (Ref. 69278)
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)
High to very high vulnerability (72 of 100)

Price category (Ref. 80766)
Unknown

Heterobranchus bidorsalis Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809