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Ganjar Cahyadi (1) Irfan Nurarifin (2)

Description: E. velatus differs from the other members of the genus Encheloclarias in that the anal fin and caudal fin are only confluent at the base, in meristics, and morphometrics. Dorsal soft rays (total): 25 - 29; Anal soft rays: 54 - 59; Vertebrae: 62 - 64. anal and caudal fins confluent only at the base, 54-59 anal fin rays, 44-45 caudal vertebrae, length of anal fin base 54.6-61.2% of SL, body depth at anus 10.1-11.4% of SL, head length 13.1-17.2% of SL, snout length 28.9-32.0% of head length, and interorbital distance 45.3-50.5% of head length. Habitat: Batang Hari drainage in Sumatra. Etymology: The genus name Encheloclarius: énchelys (Greek), eel, i.e., an eel-like Clarias, referring to the shape of E. tapeinopterus. The specific name velatus: Latin for concealed, referring to its being the first species of Encheloclarias found on Sumatra after 150 years of ichthyological exploration, and to its secretive nature. Remarks: This species is known only from the Batang Hari drainage in Sumatra, with an area of occupancy (AOO) estimated at no more than 720 km2. In addition, the extent of occurrence of is estimated at 7500 km2. The habitat of this species (blackwater peat swamp forests) has undergone large scale destruction and degradation due to logging, plantation agriculture (primarily oil palm plantation), and channelisation. Given the scope of land conversion for use in plantation agriculture, the number of locations is equal to one. Additionally, these threats are severe, widespread, and capable of driving this species to extinction within a short time period. Therefore, Encheloclarias velatus is assessed as Vulnerable (VU) under criteria B1ab(i,ii,iii)+B2ab(i,ii,iii) and D2. It will be necessary to reassess this species once more information on the effect of habitat loss on the population is available (IUCN 2019).

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Clariidae

Southeast Asia: Batang Hari drainage, central Sumatra, and Binton. Type locality: Sumatra: Jambi, Angso Duo market.

17.0cm. (6¾ins)

22-25°C (71-77°F)

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. 2024. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, ( 06/2024 ).
Ng, H.H. and H.H. Tan, 2000. A new species of Encheloclarias from Sumatra. J. Fish Biol. 57(2):536-540.
Ng, H.H. 2019. Encheloclarias velatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019.
The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database © Christopher Scharpf.