| Heterobranchus Temporal range: Lower Pliocene - Recent |
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Clariidae |
| Genus: | Heterobranchus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809 |
| Type species | |
| Heterobranchus bidorsalis Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809 |
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| Species | |
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5, See text. |
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Heterobranchus is a genus of catfishes (order Siluriformes) of the family Clariidae.
H. longifilis may also be known as the Vundu.[1]
H. bidorsalis originates from the Nile, Niger, Upper Volta, Guinea and Senegal Rivers, and the Chad basin. H. boulengeri is distributed in Lake Moero, Lukonzolwa River, and upper Congo River in Zimbabwe. H. isopterus is known from West Africa, from Senegal to Ghana. H. longifilis is known from the Nile, (Niger, Senegal, Congo) and upper and middle Zambezi Rivers.[2] H. palaeindicus, the only known extinct species of the genus, was discovered in the Siwalik Hills, India, dating to the Lower Pliocene.[2]
H. longifilis is the largest freshwater species in southern Africa, reaching 150 centimetres (59 in) SL and weighing up to 55.0 kilograms (121 lb).[1] H. bidorsalis may reach a similar length but only weighs up to 50.0 kg (110 lb).[3] H. boulengeri is known to reach 64.0 cm (25.2 in) TL.[4] H. isopterus reaches 90.0 cm (35.4 in) TL.[5]
H. longifilis is an uncommon species which inhabits large rivers. It occurs in large deep rivers within the mainstream or in deep pools and lakes. Most active at night, it feeds on any available food, including invertebrates and insects when small, then fish and other small vertebrates when large. It scavenges off large carcasses and offal from riverside villages. It can live for 12 or more years.[1]
Heterobranchus includes the following species:[2]