PlanetCatfish.com - Clarias theodorae (Clariidae) Cat-eLog

Juvenile / stress colouration
Lake Chilingali, Malawi

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Clarias theodorae** Weber, 1897
Common Names	Snake Catfish Slangbaber (South Africa)
Type Locality	Umhloti River at Verulam, Natal, South Africa.
Synonym(s)	Clarias amplexicauda, Clarias fouloni, Clarias macrurus, Clarias theodora
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.
Species Information
Size	350mm or 13.8" 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.
Habitat Information
Distribution	Africa: Zambezi, Kafue and Shire Rivers; Upper Congo system; Lakes Tanganyika, Bangweulu, Kobo, Niumbe, Mweru and Malawi; Chobe, Okavango and Cunene Rivers; Pungwe, Sabi, Lundi Rivers and Zimbabwean tributaries of the Limpopo River; Incomati, Pongolo and Umgeni rivers and Lake Sibaya in Natal. African Waters, Zambesi (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, Shire (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Congo, Upper Congo (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, Congo, Upper Congo, Lualaba, Mweru, Luapula, Bangweolo (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Konkouré (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, Zambesi, Malawi (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, Okavango (Cubango) (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, Pungwe (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Save, Lundi (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, Umgeni (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 2018.
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.
Further Information
Reference	Zoologische Jahrbücher, Abteilung für Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Tiere (Jena) v. 10, pp 150.
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 3 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
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	Look up C. theodorae on Encyclopedia of Life
	Look up C. theodorae on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.6.8.2406
Last Update	2025 Jan 01 11:57 (species record created: 2010 Jan 27 15:51)