Clarias cavernicola

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Golden Cave catfish
Conservation status

Critically Endangered  (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Clariidae
Genus: Clarias
Species: C. cavernicola
Binomial name
Clarias cavernicola
Trewavas, 1936

The golden cave catfish, Clarias cavernicola, is a critically endangered species of Airbreathing catfish. They are only known to live in the Dragon's Breath Cave, Otjozondjupa, Namibia.[1] They appear similar to white eels, up to a length of 16.1 cm (6.3 inches) SL. They have very small eyes, and are probably effectively blind. They feed on detritus that falls into the lake in which they live. The population is estimated at 150[citation needed] or 200–400[1] individuals. Little is known about its reproduction, and attempts to breed it in captivity have failed. The population is threatened by chance events and aquifer depletion that threatens to drain the lake.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Bruton, M. N. (1995). "Threatened fishes of the world:Clarias cavernicola Trewavas, 1936 (Clariidae)". Environmental Biology of Fishes 43 (2): 162–162. doi:10.1007/BF00002486. 
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.