Common names:
Unknown
Local: Unavailable

Taxonomic tree
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish)
Order: Siluriformes (Catfishes)
Family: Clariidae (Airbreathing catfishes)
Genus: Clarias
Species: Clarias hilli (Fowler, 1936)
Number of Occurrancies: 0

Etymology(based on Sharpf & Lazara, 2019) 

• Clarias: From Greek word chlaros (note that Scopoli’s spelling was Chlarias), meaning lively, referring to the extreme hardiness of clariids and/or their ability to live for a long time out of water (and, in some cases, actually move across land)


• hilli: in honor of Gordon Hill, volunteer assistant in the Department of Fishes and Reptiles, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 

Synonyms: click here to view synonyms

Type locality: Saidi's Village, Democratic Republic of Congo. Holotype at The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (or ANSP)

Distinguishing characters for the genus

• Flat and broad, usually bony, head (especially on sides behind the eyes); upper surface coarsely granulated in adults and smooth in young fishes (Clariallabes have soft sides of the head)


• Scaleless, elongate, body with small eyes and no adipose fin 


• Long dorsal fin, with no spine, extending from slightly behind the head to the caudal fin, from which it is narrowly separated


• Long anal fin, extending to, or almost to the caudal fin base than to the snout


• Air breathing organs derived from the 2nd and 4th epibranchials within the superbranchial chamber (Xenoclarias lack this organ)


• Dorsal and anal fin distinct from the caudal fin (Clariallabes have confluent dorsal, anal and caudal fins)

Distinguishing characters for the species(From Froese and Pauly, 2019)

• Pectoral spine slightly curved; outer side with strong, downward serrations. 


• Gill rakers short and squat, and distantly set. 


• Suprabranchial organ rather primitive. 


• Broad, rounded snout; eyes laterally placed

Distribution in Uganda: Lake Albert system

Occurence: Native

Habitat: Demersal, possibly inhabiting vegetated areas and swamps.  

Feeding: Mainly insectivorous

Biology: Nothing is known about breeding and other life history aspects of this species

Economic importance/End use: Unknown

IUCN conservation status: click here to view IUCN status

Threats: Unknown; possibly habitat degredation, especially clearence of near-shore wetlands and papyrus where the species feeds and possibly breeds

Main references

• Greenwood PH. 1966. The fishes of Uganda. The Uganda Society, Kampala. 131 pages.


• Sharpf C, Lazara J.K. 2019. Fish Name Etymology Database v12. www.etyfish.org


• Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2019.FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 02/2019