Gunthers Walking Catfish

Scientific Name; Clarias macrocephalus Günther, 1864
Common Name(s); Pla Duk
Type Locality; Thailand.
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.

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. 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. 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.
Distribution Asia: Thailand to Viet Nam. Introduced to China, Malaysia, Guam and the Philippines.
Feeding; Feeds on aquatic insects, young shrimps and small fishes.
Breeding; Unreported. Spawns in small streams
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