Biology of selected Clarias catfish species used in aquaculture

Abstract

Catfish are important organisms used extensively in aquaculture. For this review, we are focusing on specific species of catfish in the genus Clarias, primarily Clarias batrachus, C. gariepinus and C. macrocephalus, because of their widespread use in aquaculture and the considerable amount of information that has been amassed on different aspects of their biology. This review summarizes information available on topics ranging from the taxonomy and geographic distribution of these catfish to work done on them at the genetic, molecular biological and genomic levels. This information may be useful in future efforts to grow and expand their use in aquaculture.