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Description: Teugels et al. (1991) considered the genus Auchenoglanis to be comprised of two valid species: A. biscutatus and A. occidentalis. Due to the work carried out recently (2010) by Michael Retzer there are now 8 in this genus with six new species, A. acuticeps (now a synonym), A. biscutatus, A. occidentalis, A. sacchii (now a synonym), A. senegali, A. tanganicanus (now a synonym), A. tchadiensis and A. wittei (now a synonym). The main description for A. occidentalis is that it can be differentiated from all other congeners (except A. tchadiensis) by having  a uniformly coloured body. It differs from A. tchadiensis by having oval-shaped tooth patches on the upper jaw vs.triangular for A. tchadiensis. This Bagrid can grow to an impressive 46cm (18¼ins) but it is basically a gentle giant and can be trusted with anything that can not fit into its small mouth. Its long pointed snout is well adapted to "sook" up worms and detritus in the sandy substrate and as such you should provide your specimen(s) with a sand floor to your aquarium with an external power filter that has a good flow rate. It goes without saying of course that you will need to provide this catfish with a spacious tank considering its adult size. Abstract: The taxonomic history of the African catfish genus Auchenoglanis includes eight nominal species, with two of these, Auchenoglanis biscutatus and Auchenoglanis occidentalis, being recognised as valid by most authors. The validity of all eight species was recently established based on mainly pigmentation-related characters and the shape of the premaxillary tooth plates. As these results opposed previous works but lacked any mention of these, the species diversity in the genus was re-evaluated based on biometric, meristic and other morphological data. It reconfirms the status of only two valid species within the genus. Auchenoglanis occidentalis ranks among the African fish species with very large distribution areas, being present from Senegal to Tanzania. Auchenoglanis biscutatus is distinguished from A. occidentalis by a postorbital head length that is greater than the preorbital head length, an adipose fin that rises abruptly, and a maxillary barbel with a tip not darker than the head colour (Geerinckx & Vreven 2013). Reproduction: No reports on the breeding of this species in captivity as it would need a very large tank with a number of individuals. In its natural habitat the nested eggs are guarded by the male. Furthermore, the male plays host to eggs and young of Dinotopterus cunningtoni, a member of the Claridae catfish family, which takes advantage of the already prepared nest and feeds on the host brood. Aquarium Care: It is very tolerant to most water parameters and as such you can keep it in a low p.H. (6.5) with larger Characins or Barbs or even in a Lake Tanganyika setup with Cichlids from that lake in harder water, but my choice would be to stick with the former soft and acidic conditions for a more contented individual(s). Etymology: The genus name Auchenoglanis: replacement name for Auchenaspis Bleeker 1858 (preoccupied in fossil fishes), auchenos, neck and aspis, shield, referring to broad nuchal shield; glanis, sheatfish (Silurus glanis), now used as a general term for catfish. The specific name occidentalis: western, referring to its distribution (described from Senegal) compared to the similar A. biscutatus of Egypt. Remarks: A. acuticeps Pappenheim, 1914, A. tanganicanus Boulenger, 1906, A. chadiensis Pellegrin, 1909, A. sacchii (Vinciguerra, 1898) and A. wittei Giltay, 1930 are now all considered synonyms of A. occidentalis.

Giraffe Catfish

Auchenaspis biscutata, A.biscutatus, A.occidentalis, Auchenoglanis biscutatus, Pimelodus occidentalis,  A. biscutatus occidentalis, Auchenoglanis occidentalis occidentalis, Oxyglanis sacchii, Auchenoglanis  occidentalis var. tanganicanus, A. occidentalis tchadiensis, A. tchadensis, A. scutatus, A. acuticeps, A. wittei, A. occidentalis tanganyikanus, A. vittatus, A. acuticeps, A. tanganyikanus.

Auchenoglanididae

Africa: Senegal, Casamange and Gambia river drainages in western Africa.. Type locality: Sénégal.

46.0cm. (18¼ins)

21-25°C (69-77°F)

6.5-7.8

Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2009. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (10/2009).
Mushagalusa, D. 2025. Auchenoglanis occidentalis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025.
Retzer, ME (2010) Taxonomy of Auchenoglanis Günther 1865 (Siluriformes: Auchenoglanididae). Zootaxa 2655, pp. 25–51.
ScotCat Factsheet no. 109. July 2005.
The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database © Christopher Scharpf.
Tom Geerinckx & Emmanuel Vreven (2013) A re-evaluation of the species-level diversity within the catfish genus Auchenoglanis (Siluriformes: Claroteidae), Journal of Natural History, 47:47-48, 2979-3010.