Clarias macrocephalus Günther, 1864

Bighead catfish

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

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Siluriformes \| Clariidae
Synonyms	... more
Common names	Freshwater catfish, Pa douk, Pla duk uey, ... more

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Main reference

Teugels, G.G., R.C. Diego, L. Pouyaud and M. Legendre. 1999. (Ref. 33566)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 120 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9987)

Environment

Benthopelagic; potamodromous (Ref. 51243); freshwater; brackish; depth range 1 - ? m (Ref. 9987)

Climate / Range

Tropical; 34°N - 4°N

Asia: Thailand to Viet Nam. Introduced to China, Malaysia, Guam and the Philippines.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 0. Distinguished from Southeast Asian congeners by an extremely short and rounded occipital process and by a very high dorsal fin. The combination of these characters are diagnostic for the species (Ref. 33566). Occipital process wide, broadly curved, with length 3-5 times in its width; distance between dorsal and occipital process 5-7 times in distance from tip of snout to end of occipital process (Ref. 43281).

Lives in lowland wetlands and rivers (Ref. 57235). Occurs in shallow, open water and is capable of lying buried in mud for lengthy period if ponds and lakes evaporate during dry seasons (Ref. 9987). Can move out of the water using its extended fins (Ref. 9987). Found in medium to large-sized rivers, stagnant water bodies including sluggish flowing canals and flooded fields of the Mekong (Ref. 12975). Spawns in small streams (Ref. 9987). Feeds on aquatic insects, young shrimps and small fishes (Ref. 6459). In Thailand and Laos, this fish is considered to be better and more nourishing than Clarias batrachus; uncommon in Laos but common in Thailand; thought wrongly as female of Clarias batrachus in Thailand (Ref 2686). Important foodfish and in pond cultures (Ref. 57235). Marketed live, fresh and frozen; consumed fried, broiled and baked (Ref. 9987). Cultivated on a small scale but attempts to farm it are increasing (Ref. 9987).


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

Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: 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 \| Length-frequency wizard \| Life-history tool \| Point map

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

Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Assuming tm=1; Fec=800-14,000)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
High vulnerability (61 of 100)	Not marketed/unknown

Entered by Luna, Susan M.

Modified by Sampang, Arlene G.

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Page last modified by : elaxamana, 15 July 2009

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