AquaticRepublic.com - Heterobranchus longifilis (Clariidae) All Fishes

Caught on Lake Nasser, Egypt
Stamp
Adult

All Fishes Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Heterobranchus longifilis** Valenciennes, 1840
Common Names	Vundu Vundu-malle (Denmark)
Type Locality	Nile River, Egypt.
Synonym(s)	Clarias loangwensis, Heterobranchus laticeps, Heterobranchus longifinis, Heterobranchus platycephalus
Pronunciation	Het err o brach us - long ee fill iss
Etymology	Heterobranchus: From the Greek heteros, meaning different and branchos, meaning fin; in reference to the presence of the two dorsal fins (rayed and adipose). The specific epithet comes from the Latin longus, meaning long and filum, meaning thread; in reference to the long barbels of the fish.
Species Information
Size	1500mm or 59.1" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	Dorsal-fin rays 26-35; anal-fin rays 42-52; vertebrae 55-61. Head long, broad and somewhat rectangular in dorsal outline; snout broadly rounded; eyes with supero-lateral position. Frontal fontanelle long and narrow; occipital fontanelle oval-shaped. Toothplates wide. Suprabranchial organ well developed. Pectoral spine strongly serrated on anterior side. Adipose fin with blackish posterior part, nearly as long as dorsal fin; caudal fin barred. Openings of secondary canals hardly visible but display a regular pattern.
Sexing	Females stouter than males.
Habitat Information
Distribution	Africa: Nile, Niger, Senegal, Congo system, upper and middle Zambezi. Also from Lakes Tanganyika and Edward, Gambia and Benue River, Chad and Volta basins, and the coastal basins of Guinea to Nigeria. African Waters, Nigeria Waters, Niger (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Nile (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Congo (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Zambesi, Middle Zambesi (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, Western Rift Valley Lakes, Tanganyika (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Chad (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Western Rift Valley Lakes, Edward (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Gambia (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Nigeria Waters, Niger, Bénoué (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Volta (click on these areas to find other species found there) Login to view the map.
IUCN Red List Category	Least Concern , range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2019.
pH	5.4 - 7.6
Temperature	20.0-27.0°C or 68-80.6°F (Show species within this range)
Other Parameters	Hefty filtration is required to clean-up after this greedy fish.
Husbandry Information
Feeding	Simply anything digestible it can fit into its mouth. Will therefore take all normal aquarium foods. User data.
Furniture	Not really an aquarium fish. Although largely inactive and so doesn't require a great deal more room than simply to turn around do bear in mind though that this fish can easily reach the size of 1m in captivity.
Compatibility	Will attack surprisingly large fish often with fatal results, a greedy, voracious predator. One for a species tank.
Breeding	During spawning, the male first follows the female, swimming with the head against the side of the female, interspersed with periods of solitary swimming or inactivity). The pair then swim head against head with the male on top. This is followed by the male folding the body first around the head, and then the body of the female. During the latter stage, eggs and sperm are released. The female then pushes her head into the substrate and beats her tail vigorously, mixing the eggs and sperm.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	Histoire naturelle des poissons v. 15, pp 394, Pl. 447.
Registered Keepers	There is no registered keeper.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There is no wish to keep this species.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 4 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
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	Look up H. longifilis on PlanetCatfish.com
	Look up H. longifilis on Fishbase
	Look up H. longifilis on Encyclopedia of Life
	Look up H. longifilis on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.6.187.688
Last Update	2020 Sep 20 01:55 (species record created: 2001 Oct 02 00:00)