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Clarias camerunensis Lönnberg, 1895

Image contributors to this species:

Hippocampus Bildarchiv (2) Johnny Jensen's Photographic Library (1) Rob Palmer (1)

ScotCat Sources:

Other Sources:

Relevant Information:

Named after its Type locality of Cameroon. Possess accessory breathing organs which allow survival for long periods out of water. Can 'walk' on land using its pectoral spines as support. Description: No dorsal spine. Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 69 - 87; Anal soft rays: 52 - 70; Vertebrae: 56 - 61. Head rectangular dorsally; snout extremely broadly rounded; eyes more laterally placed. Frontal fontanelle long and narrow; occipital fontanelle long and oval-shaped. Supraorbital and `dermosphenotic' bones separated in specimens over 200 mm SL. Tooth plate extremely broad. Pectoral spine slender; outer side showing strong downward serrations. Suprabranchial organ well developed. Openings of the secondary sensory canals show a regular pattern. Diet: Data on the diet of C. walkeri (=C. camerunensis) showed larvae of mayflies, chironomids, and caddis insects to be the main food of small and middle-sized specimens. Etymology: The specific name camerunensis: From Cameroon. Remarks: According to Teugels (1986) this species should be assigned to the subgenus Brevicephaloides because of the shape of its head, being short and broad which coincides with this genus.

Common Name:

None

Synonyms:

Clarias lazera, C. dumerilii, C. submarginatus, C. walkeri, Clarias liocephalus, C. breviceps, Clarias platycephalus, C. poensis, C. noensis, C. monkei, C. duchaillui, C. nigeriae, C.submarginatus thysvillensis, C. curtus

Family:

Clariidae

Distribution:

Africa: Coastal rivers in Togo to the lower and central Congo system. Type locality: Cameroon.

Size:

45.0cm. (18ins)

Temp:

23-28°C (73-83°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.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2009. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (10/2009).
Seegers, L. 2008. The catfishes of Africa. A handbook for identification and maintenance. Aqualog Verlag A.C.S. GmbH, Germany. 604 p.

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

Clarias camerunensis

Clarias camerunensis

Clarias camerunensis
Dja et Lobo, CM-SU, Cameroon

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