Life habits and nutritional value of Toad Catfish and Leather Catfish

Clarias batrachus, also known as amphibian catfish, was introduced from Thailand in 1978 by the Department of Biology of South China Normal University. It is very similar to the bearded catfish native to southern my country in terms of shape and habits. The body of the Toadbeard Catfish is relatively large, with a dark brown body, and the pectoral and pelvic fins are darker in color; there are irregular gray-brown dots from the abdomen to the base of the tail fin; the dorsal fin rays are 60-76, and the anal fin rays are 47-58. (The dorsal fin rays of the catfish are 58-62, the anal fin rays are 65-76, and the anal fin rays are 52-55). They are fierce in nature and can be accidentally stabbed when catching. Its advantages are that its meat is tender, it can live in an environment with low dissolved oxygen, it is suitable for intensive cultivation in small water bodies, and it has the characteristics of fast growth, short breeding cycle, and long breeding season. Thailand can raise two batches per year, with a yield per mu of 13,933.5 kilograms. If fry are raised for one year with a body length of more than 4 centimeters, the survival rate can reach 100%, and the maximum individual weight is about 0.5 kilograms.

Clarias leather catfish, commonly known as the Egyptian pond lice. It was introduced from Egypt in November 1981 by the freshwater aquaculture breeding farm of Guangdong Province. The shape of the leatherback catfish is similar to that of the leatherback catfish from southern my country. The difference is that the base of the dorsal and anal fins are longer and the number of fins is more; there are many radially arranged bony protrusions on the back of the head; the pectoral fin spines are short, blunt and not Stinging hands; gill rakers are densely packed, the number is as high as 52-90 (only 15-18 for the bearded catfish, 18-23 for the toad catfish); the nose and jaw barbels are slightly shorter, and do not reach the pectoral fins; the back and sides of the body are pale gray, It has irregular cloud-like patches and the pectoral fins are white in color; individuals weighing more than 10 grams have light red lines surrounding the edges of all fin rays. The leathery catfish has the advantages of large size, fast growth, tender meat, easy reproduction, strong adaptability, low oxygen tolerance and low temperature resistance. It can weigh up to 2 kilograms in one year when raised, and the largest individual can reach more than 10 kilograms. It is a It is a kind of cultured fish with great development potential. At present, family fish farming has been carried out in some areas. The sexual maturity age of leatherback catfish is about 10 months, and the breeding season is from April to October. Its spawning habits are similar to carp, but different from the local catfish and toad catfish; and the parent fish have the instinct to swallow fish eggs and larvae, so they cannot hatch in the original spawning pond. This fish is a promising breeding target.

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