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Scientific Name Clarias ngamensis  Castelnau, 1861
Common Names Blunt-tooth Catfish
Stomptandbaber (South Africa)
Type Locality Lake Ngami, 17°50'S, 21°00'E, Botswana, South Africa.
Pronunciation klar ee ass
Etymology Clarias: From the Greek chlaros, meaning lively; in reference to the ability of the fish to live for long periods out of water. 
Hop to next section Species Information
Size 730mm or 28.7" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification Clarias species are characterized by having an elongated body; a soft rayed dorsal fin extending to, or nearly to, the caudal fin base; a soft rayed anal fin extending from just behind the anus to the caudal fin base; pectoral fins each with a serrated anterior bony spine; head depressed, covered largely by firmly sutured, surface sculptured bony plates forming a protective helmet; four pairs of flagellate barbels (nasals, maxillaries, inner and outer mandibulars); air breathing organs derived from the 2nd and 4th epibranchials within a superbranchial chamber.
Sexing The genital papilla, which is to the right of the anus as you look at the fish with its head to the left, is elongated and pointed in males while it is round and relatively larger (and larger than the anus) in females. In ventral view especially, females are much broader in the body than males of equal age and rearing practices.
Hop to next section Habitat Information
Distribution Africa: Found in Quanza, Cunene, Okavango, Chobe, Lake Ngami, upper Zambezi (above Victoria Falls), Lake Malawi, upper Lualaba, Luapula , Lakes Moero and Bangweulu, Pungwe, Buzi, Save, Limpopo, Incomati, lower Pongolo and lower Sabi, Lundi system. Also known from the Kafue, Zambian Congo, lower Shire
African Waters, Cuanza (click on these areas to find other species found there)
African Waters, Cunene (click on these areas to find other species found there)
African Waters, Okavango (click on these areas to find other species found there)
African Waters, Zambesi, Upper Zambesi (click on these areas to find other species found there)
African Waters, Zambesi, Chobe (click on these areas to find other species found there)
African Waters, Zambesi, Kafue (click on these areas to find other species found there)
African Waters, Zambesi, Malawi (click on these areas to find other species found there)
African Waters, Congo, Upper Congo, Lualaba (click on these areas to find other species found there)
African Waters, Congo, Upper Congo, Lualaba, Mweru, Luapula (click on these areas to find other species found there)
African Waters, Congo, Upper Congo, Lualaba, Mweru (click on these areas to find other species found there)
African Waters, Congo, Upper Congo, Lualaba, Mweru, Luapula, Bangweolo (click on these areas to find other species found there)
African Waters, Pungwe (click on these areas to find other species found there)
African Waters, Save (click on these areas to find other species found there)
African Waters, Limpopo (click on these areas to find other species found there)
African Waters, Incomati (click on these areas to find other species found there)
African Waters, Maputo, Pongolo (click on these areas to find other species found there)
African Waters, Save, Lundi (click on these areas to find other species found there)

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IUCN Red List Category Least Concern, range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2018.
Hop to next section Husbandry Information
Suggested Tankmates Large cyprinids (silver sharks, tinfoil or spanner barbs for example) or Central American cichlids.
Breeding Unreported.
Breeding Reports There is no breeding report.
Hop to next section Further Information
Reference Mémoire sur les poissons de l'Afrique australe, pp 63.
Registered Keepers There is no registered keeper.
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There is no record of this fish being seen.
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Last Update 2020 Oct 27 15:47 (species record created: 2010 Jan 27 15:38)