Clarias ngamensis Castelnau, 1861

Blunt-toothed African catfish

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Siluriformes \| Clariidae
Synonyms	Clarias mellandi, Dinotopteroides prentissgrayi, Dinotopterus jallae, ... more
Common names	Blunttooth catfish, Clarid catfish, Stomptandbaber, ... more

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Image of Clarias ngamensis (Blunt-toothed African catfish)

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Main reference

Teugels, G.G. 1986. (Ref. 248)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 73.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7248); max. published weight: 4,000 g (Ref. 7248)

Environment

Demersal; potamodromous (Ref. 51243); freshwater; brackish

Climate / Range

Tropical; 11°S - 27°S

Africa: Found in Quanza, Cunene, Okavango, Chobe, Lake Ngami, upper Zambezi (above Victoria Falls), Kafue, Lake Malawi, upper Lualaba, Luapula, Lakes Moero and Bangweulu, Pungwe, Buzi, Save, Limpopo, Incomati, lower Pongolo and lower Sabi/Lundi system (Ref. 248). Also reported from the lower Shire (Ref. 7248)
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 56 - 62; Anal soft rays: 50 - 58; Vertebrae: 56 - 60. Characterized by a relatively long vomerine tooth plate (5.9-14.4 % HL) and by a relatively short adipose fin (5.9-12.5 % SL), the length of which is a specific character of C. ngamensis. Head oval to rectangular in dorsal outline; frontal fontanelle long and narrow (`knife-shaped'); occipital fontanelle small and oval-shaped. Pectoral spine robust and slightly curved. The suprabranchial organ consists of well developed arborescent structures.

Also caught with drawnets (Ref. 4967). Lives over muddy bottoms in swampy areas. Feeds on snails (Ref. 5595). Prefers vegetated habitats. Feeding habits overlap considerably with the sharptooth catfish. Important foods are mollusks, terrestrial and aquatic insects, shrimps, crabs and fish. Hard-shelled foods such as mussels are crushed before they are swallowed. Breeds during the summer rainy season. May live for 5-6 years (Ref. 7248).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Not Evaluated	Harmless

Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: commercial


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

Tools
Biogeographic modelling \| E-book \| Field guide \| Identification keys \| Length-frequency wizard \| Life-history tool \| LifeMapper \| Point map

Special reports
Check for Aquarium maintenance \| Check for Species Fact Sheets \| Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page \| Point data \| Common names \| Photos

Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.22-0.41)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
Moderate vulnerability (36 of 100)	Not marketed/unknown

Entered by Binohlan, Crispina B.

Modified by Casal, Christine Marie V.

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Page last modified by : elaxamana, 15 July 2009

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