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Clarias buettikoferi Steindachner, 1894

Image contributors to this species:

Hippocampus Bildarchiv (2) Thomas Kobe (2)

ScotCat Sources:

Other Sources:

Relevant Information:

Description: Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 57-68; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 43 - 53; Vertebrae: 50 - 52. Diagnosis: head rather rectangular in dorsal outline; snout broadly rounded; frontal fontanelle long and narrow (`knife-shaped'); occipital fontanelle oval-shaped. "Dermosphenotic" and supraorbital bones fused, closing up early in the ontogenetic process. Pectoral spine slightly curved, showing strong downward pointed serrations on its inner side and relatively small downward pointed serrations on its outer side; openings of secondary canals of lateral line appear as irregular white spots on body. 43-53 anal fin rays, 57-68 dorsal fin rays. Colouration: Live fish: olivaceous-brown on back, olivaceous on sides and whitish on belly. Preserved Specimens: dark brown on back and sides, belly pale brown; several specimens have a yellowish spot at pelvic-fin bases; caudal fin with a few alternating dark and light vertical bars; dorsal and anal fins sometimes light-edged.

Common Name:

Büttikofer's Clarias

Synonyms:

Clarias macromystax, Clarias angolensis, C. bulumae, C. liberiensis, C. guineensis, Clarias dorsimarmoratus.

Family:

Clariidae

Distribution:

Africa: Gambia river, coastal basins of Guinea Bissau, Guinea, and from Sierra Leone and Liberia to the River St. John; also found in the Sassandra, Bandama, Agnébi, Mé and Bia (Côte d’Ivoire). Type locality: Buluma, Liberia.

Size:

17.0cm. (6¾ins)

Temp:

20-27°C (67-81°F)

p.H.

6.5-7.2.

Reference:

Dankwa, H.R., E.K. Abban and G.G. Teugels 1999 Freshwater fishes of Ghana: identification, distribution, ecological and economic importance Ann. Mus. R. Afr. Centr., Sci. Zool. 283:53 p.
Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2007. Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa 1418:1-628.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2009. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (10/2009).
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.

Family: Clariidae Back to Ident-A-Cat Click on Thumbnails

Clarias buettikoferi

Clarias buettikoferi
From Guinea

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