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Roger Bills (2) SAIAB (3)

Habitat: Common in both lower and headwater sections of tributary streams. They prefer larger pools and deep water within tributary streams associated with cobble and boulder habitat. As juveniles they probably prefer cobble regions, but as they mature they are found in a wide variety of habitats preferring complex structure especially deep cobble and boulder areas. In the type locality of the Jan Dissles River near Clanwilliam and also the Olifants system in the Western Cape, they seem to like deeper runs and pools and they were widespread in the main river channels before bass were introduced. Aquarium Care: I have kept all three species in aquaria – all quite difficult to maintain in good condition. Best results were with A. barnardi – I had them in a recirculating circular tank. Packed peat into the filter and pushed the pH right down(Roger Bills). Diet: Fed them on worms mostly although I assume they generally eat chironomids, mayflies and caddis mostly in the wild. They were very aggressive with each other and seemed to maintain territories (Roger Bills). Etymology: The genus name Austroglanis: auster, south wind, being the most southerly distributed catfishes in Africa; glanis, sheatfish (Silurus glanis), now used as a general term for catfish. The specific name gilli: in honour of Edwin Leonard Gill (1877-1956), Director, South African Museum (noting that it is “appropriate” that A. sclateri was named after Gill’s predecessor). Remarks: This species is critically endangered and uncommon due to their habitats being threatened by stream channeling, water extraction, sedimentation and introduced bass. This species will never be imported to our aquariums due to the above limitations.

Clanwilliam Rock Catfish

Gephyroglanis gilli

Austroglanididae

South Africa: Clanwilliam-Olifants River system. Type locality: Olifants River system, Clanwilliam Division: in an irrigation furrow on the Jan Diesels River in Bosch Kloof, Clanwilliam; Boontjes River, Citrusdal; upper reaches of Olifants River at the farm “Keerom” and in a side tributary of the farm “Noordhoek.”

12.7cm (5ins) SL.

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Bills R. Pers comm.
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. 2011. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version.
Skelton, P.H., 1993. A complete guide to the freshwater fishes of southern Africa. Southern Book Publishers. 388 p.
Swartz, E., Bills, R. & Impson, D. 2007. Austroglanis gilli. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2.
The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database © Christopher Scharpf.