Clarias batrachus
Walking Catfish
NS
G5
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Siluriformes (Catfishes)
Clariidae (Labyrinth Catfishes)
Clarias
Clarias batrachus (Walking Catfish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
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Characters
Body shape: elongated. Body compressed posteriorly. Upper jaw a little projecting. Spine of pectoral fins rough on its outer edge and serrated on its inner edge (Ref. 4792). Occipital process more or less triangular, its length about 2 time in its width (Ref. 27732); distance between dorsal and occipital process 4-5.5 times in distance from tip of snout to end of occipital process (Ref. 43281). Genital papilla in males is elongated and pointed (Ref. 52012). Striking features: none.
Distribution
Asia: Java, Indonesia. Clarias aff. batrachus from Indochina and Clarias aff. batrachus
from Sundaland have been misidentified as Clarias batrachus from Java. Introduced elsewhere. Several countries report adverse ecological impact after introduction.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater, brackish. demersal. Found in: lakes.
Biology
Adults inhabit lowland streams (Ref. 57235), swamps, ponds, ditches, rice paddies, and pools left in low spots after rivers have been in flood (Ref. 2854, 57235). Usually confined to stagnant, muddy water (Ref. 1479). Found in medium to large-sized rivers, flooded fields and stagnant water bodies including sluggish flowing canals (Ref. 12975). Undertake lateral migrations from the Mekong mainstream, or other permanent water bodies, to flooded areas during the flood season and returns to the permanent water bodies at the onset of the dry season (Ref. 37770). Can live out of water for quite sometime and move short distances over land (Ref. 4833). Can walk and leave the water to migrate to other water bodies using its auxiliary breathing organs. The Lao use this fish as lap pa or ponne pa. Feed on insect larvae, earthworms, shells, shrimps, small fish, aquatic plants and debris (Ref. 6459). An important food fish (Ref. 4833) that is marketed live, fresh and frozen (Ref. 9987). Recently rare, being replaced by introduced African walking catfish (Ref. 57235).
Max length: 47.0 cm TL; common length: 26.2 cm TL; max weight: 1190 g.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; guarders (nesters). The pair manifests the 'spawning embrace' which is widely observed in other catfish species (Ref. 33313). The pair gently nudge each other in the genital region and flick their dorsal fins; male wraps his body around the female, then the female releases a stream of adhesive eggs into the nest (Ref. 44091). In southeast Asia, spawning period is during the rainy season, when rivers rise and fish are able to excavate nests in submerged mud banks and dikes of flooded rice fields (Ref. 40977).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2019-01-16. Resilience: High (K=0.7 (in aquarium); tm=1; Fec=2,300-13,400).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish; aquaculture: commercial; aquarium: commercial.
References
Rahman, A.K.A. (1989) Freshwater fishes of Bangladesh. Zoological Society of Bangladesh. Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka. 364 p.
Allen, G.R. (1991) Field guide to the freshwater fishes of New Guinea. Publication, no. 9. 268 p. Christensen Research Institute, Madang, Papua New Guinea.
Herre, A.W.C.T. (1924) Distribution of the true freshwater fishes in the Philippines. II. Philippine Labyrinthici, Clariidae, and Siluridae. Philipp. J. Sci. 24(6):683-709.
Taki, Y. (1974) Fishes of the Lao Mekong Basin. United States Agency for International Development Mission to Laos Agriculture Division. 232 p.
Burgess, W.E. (1989) An atlas of freshwater and marine catfishes. A preliminary survey of the Siluriformes. T.F.H. Publications, Inc., Neptune City, New Jersey (USA). 784 p.
Rainboth, W.J. (1996) Fishes of the Cambodian Mekong. FAO species identification field guide for fishery purposes. FAO, Rome, 265 p.
Yap, S.-Y. (1988) Food resource utilization partitioning of fifteen fish species at Bukit Merah Reservoir, Malaysia. Hydrobiologia 157:143-160.
IGFA (2001) Database of IGFA angling records until 2001. IGFA, Fort Lauderdale, USA.
Talde, C.M., A.C. Mamaril and M.L.D. Palomares (2004) The diet composition of some economically important fishes in the three floodplain lakes in Agusan Marsh wildlife sanctuary in the Philippines. Sri Lanka J. Aquat. Sci 9:45-56.
Ng, H.H. and M. Kottelat (2008) The identity of Clarias batrachus (Linnaeus, 1758), with the designation of a neotype (Teleostei: Clariidae). Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 153:725-732.
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