Blotched catfish (Clarias stappersii)

Scientific name: Clarias stappersii Boulenger, 1915

Blotched catfish (Clarias stappersii)

The Blotched catfish (Clarias stappersii) is a freshwater fish of the family Clariidae.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 60-80; Anal soft rays: 56 - 63; Vertebrae: 58 - 61. Characterized by its lateral line which appears as a thick white band; barbels extremely short. Head long, broad and flattened. Frontal fontanelle long and extremely narrow. Occipital fontanelle rather small. The `dermosphenotic' and supraorbital bones are separated. Tooth plate extremely broad. Pectoral spine straight and robust. Suprabranchial organ well developed but not completely filling the chamber.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Clarias stappersii
Family
Clariidae (Airbreathing catfishes)
Order
Siluriformes (Catfish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
41.0
Environment
Freshwater; demersal
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Africa: Luapula-Moero system (upper Congo River basin), upper Kasai drainage (middle Congo River basin), Kafue River, upper Zambezi system, Cunene River and Okavango.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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