BAGRIDAE

'Bagridae' are a family of catfish that originate from Africa and Asia from Japan to Borneo.^[1] These fish are commonly known as 'naked catfishes' or 'bagrid catfishes'.
Large Bagrids are important as food fish. Some species are kept as aquarium fishes.

Contents

Physical Characteristics

Taxonomy

References

Physical Characteristics

The dorsal fin is preceded by a spine (except in ''Olyra''). The adipose fin is present and can have a relatively long base in some species. The pectoral fin spine can be serrated. The body is completely naked (they have no scales). The maximum length is about 1.5 m. Fishes of the Bagridae family have four pairs well-developed barbels; these four pairs of barrels are covered by a layer of taste bud-enriched epithelium.^[2]

Taxonomy

The taxonomy of this family has changed rapidly. Nelson (2006) comments how "the family is very different from that recognized in Nelson (1994)". Claroteidae and Austroglanididae contain species that were previously Bagrids. Auchenoglanididae is considered by some sources to be a subfamily of Claroteidae and by others to be its own family, sister to Heptapteridae. Taxonomy of the genera ''Olyra'' has been debated.
It is unsure if the family is monophyletic and what its relationship to other catfishes is.

References

1. Fishes of the World, , Joseph S., Nelson, John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2006,
2. Distribution of different taste buds and expression of a-gustducin in the barbells of yellow catfish (''Pelteobagrus fulvidraco''), , Genhua, Zhang, Fish Physiology and Biochemistry, 2006