Clarias Explained

Clarias is a genus of catfishes (order Siluriformes) of the family Clariidae, the airbreathing catfishes. The name is derived from the Greek chlaros, which means lively, in reference to the ability of the fish to live for a long time out of water.

Taxonomy

Clarias has been found to be paraphyletic. A species of Heterobranchus (H. longifilis) clusters deeply inside the Clarias group.[1]

Distribution

They are found in inland waters throughout much of the Old World, and are one of the most widespread catfish genera in the world.[2] [3] The genus is found in Southeast Asia and East Asia westwards through India and the Asia Minor to Africa.[4] The diversity of these catfishes is highest in Africa.[5] Some (notably the walking catfish) have become pest species where they have been accidentally introduced, and particularly in Cuba, where their introduction was intentional.

Description

Clarias species are recognized by their long-based dorsal and anal fins, which give them a rather eel-like appearance. These fish have slender bodies, a flat, bony head, and a broad, terminal mouth with four pairs of barbels. Many species also have a large, accessory breathing organ composed of modified gill arches.[2] [4] Also, only the pectoral fins have spines.[6]

Species

There are currently 62 species recognized in this genus:

African species

  • Clarias laeviceps T. N. Gill, 1862
    • Clarias laeviceps dialonensis Daget, 1962
    • Clarias laeviceps laeviceps T. N. Gill, 1862
  • Clarias lamottei (?) Daget & Planquette, 1967 [7]
  • Clarias liocephalus Boulenger, 1898 (smoothhead catfish)
  • Clarias longior Boulenger, 1907
  • Clarias maclareni Trewavas, 1962
  • Clarias macromystax Günther, 1864
  • Clarias monsembulai Bernt and Stiassny, 2022 [8]
  • Clarias ngamensis Castelnau, 1861 (blunt-toothed African catfish)
  • Clarias nigromarmoratus Poll, 1967
  • Clarias pachynema Boulenger, 1903
  • Clarias platycephalus Boulenger, 1902
  • Clarias salae Hubrecht, 1881
  • Clarias stappersii Boulenger, 1915 (blotched catfish)
  • Clarias submarginatus W. K. H. Peters, 1882
  • Clarias theodorae M. C. W. Weber, 1897 (snake catfish)
  • Clarias werneri Boulenger, 1906 (Werner's catfish)

Asian species

Fossil species

Importance to economy

Many of the species are of great economic importance in both fisheries and fish culture.[5]

Invasive species

Clarias catfish and primarily Clarias batrachus (walking catfish) have been introduced to many different areas of the world, where they are causing problems for the native wildlife. The effect of introduction of these fish varies from area to area, but as they are predatory, they often affect the local wildlife by eating other fish, birds, and amphibians. In Florida, the fish are causing problems by invading aquaculture farms and preying on the fish cultivated there.[15] Countries where one or several Clarias species have been introduced include Indonesia, the United States, Hong Kong, China, UK, Papua New Guinea, Guam, Taiwan, Thailand, and Cuba.

Notes and References

  1. Mwita. CJ. Nkwengulila, G.. 2008. Molecular phylogeny of the clariid fishes of Lake Victoria, Tanzania, inferred from cytochrome b DNA sequences. Journal of Fish Biology. 73. 1139–1148. 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2008.01935.x. 5.
  2. Clarias insolitus, a new species of clariid catfish (Teleostei: Siluriformes) from southern Borneo. Heok Hee. Ng. Zootaxa. 284. 1–8. 2003. 10.11646/zootaxa.284.1.1. 2009-06-24. free.
  3. Clarias microstomus, a New Species of Clariid Catfish from Eastern Borneo (Teleostei: Siluriformes). Heok Hee. Ng. Zoological Studies. 40. 2. 158–162. 2001. 2009-06-24. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110719125046/http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/40.2/158-162.pdf. 2011-07-19.
  4. Clarias batu, a New Species of Catfish (Teleostei: Clariidae) from Pulau Tioman, Peninsular Malaysia. Kelvin K. P.. Lim. Ng, H. H.. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 1999. 6. 157–167. 2009-06-24. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110606051050/http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/s6/s6rbz157-167.pdf. 2011-06-06.
  5. Description of a New Clarias Species from Southeast Asia Based on Morphological and Genetical Evidence (Siluriformes, Clariidae). Guy G.. Teugels. Sudarto. Pouyaud, Laurent. 2001. 25. 1. 81–92. 2009-06-24. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101226201806/http://www.mnhn.fr/sfi/cybium/numeros/pdf/251pdf/11.teugels.pdf. 2010-12-26.
  6. Description of a New Clariid Catfish, Clarias pseudonieuhofii from West Borneo (Siluriformes: Clariidae). Sudarto. Teugels, Guy G.. Pouyaud, Laurent. Zoological Studies. 43. 1. 8–19. 2004. 2009-06-24. 2018-06-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20180613212303/http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/43.1/8.pdf. dead.
  7. Web site: Clarias lamottei (Siluriformes, Clariidae), a Naturel Intergeneric Hybrid from West Africa . 12 April 2023 . Guy G. Teugels . amp . Cybium 2003, 27(1): 11-15 . Teugels, Guy . 2003.
  8. Web site: A New Species of Air-Breathing Catfish (Clariidae: Clarias) from Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo . 11 April 2023 . Maxwell J. Bernt . Melanie L.J. Stiassny . amp . American Museum Novitates 2022(3990) . Bernt, Maxwell J. & Stiassny, Melanie L.J. . 2022.
  9. Web site: Two New Species of Catfishes of the Genus Clarias from Borneo (Teleostei: Clariidae) . 11 April 2023 . Ng Heok Hee . amp . Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent, Singapore . H. H. Ng . 1999.
  10. Ng, H. H. . Dang, K. H. . Nguyen, V. T. . amp . 2011 . Clarias gracilentus, a new walking catfish (Teleostei: Clariidae) from Vietnam and Cambodia . Zootaxa . 2823 . 61–68 . 10.11646/zootaxa.2823.1.4.
  11. Web site: Description of two new Clarias species from Borneo (Siluriformes, Clariidae) . 11 April 2023 . Tomy Sudarto . Guy Teugels . Laurent Pouyaud . amp . Cybium . Tomy Sudarto, Guy Teugels, & Laurent Pouyaud . March 2003.
  12. Ng HH & Hadiaty Rk (2011) Clarias microspilus, a new walking catfish (Teleostei: Clariidae) from northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Journal of Threatened Taxa 3(3): 1577-1584. http://www.threatenedtaxa.org/ZooPrintJournal/2011/March/ng.htm
  13. Clarias nigricans, a New Species of Clariid Catfish (Teleostei: Siluriformes) from Eastern Borneo. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 2003. 51. 2. 393–398. Heok Hee. Ng. 2009-06-24. 2009-02-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20090219053936/http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/51/51rbz393-398.pdf. dead.
  14. Ng, H.H. & Kottelat, M. (2014): Clarias serniosus, a new walking catfish (Teleostei: Clariidae) from Laos. Zootaxa, 3884 (5): 437–444.
  15. http://www.invasivespecies.net/database/species/ecology.asp?si=62&fr=1&sts= issg Database: ecology of Clarias batrachus

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