Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822)

Esmaeili, Hamid Reza & Hamidan, Neshat, 2023, Inland fishes of the Arabian Peninsula: Review and a revised checklist, Zootaxa 5330 (2), pp. 201-226 : 212

23. Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) ―Sharptooth Catfish― Exotic

Taxonomy. Original description: Silurus (Heterobranchus) gariepinus Burchell, 1822:425 , fig. on p. 445 [ Vaal River , at Smidtsdrift, above confluence with Riet River , Cape Province, South Africa (28°42’10”S, 24°04’29”E); Neotype: SAIAB [formerly RUSI] 520 ] . Synonyms: Clarias capensis Valenciennes, 1840 ; Macropteronotus charmuth Lacepède, 1803 ; Clarias depressus Myers, 1925 ; Clarias guentheri Pfeffer, 1896 ; Clarias longiceps Boulenger, 1899 .

Status in the Arabian Peninsula. Recorded from Saudi Arabia (by Siddiqui et al. (1992), and confirmed by Freyhof et al. (2020).

General distribution. Widespread in Africa, Asia Minor and Middle East. Widely introduced elsewhere. Habitat: freshwater, brackish.

Distribution in the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi Arabia: Al-Kharj south of Riyadh, and in Medina.

Economic importance. Commercially important.

Reasons of introduction. Aquaculture.

Conservation. Not relevant (introduced species).

Remarks. It was introduced into Saudi Arabia in 1987 ( Siddiqui et al. 1992). Its establishment needs confirmation.