The African butter catfish (''Schilbe mystus'') is a species of

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

in the family

Schilbeidae Schilbeidae is a family of catfishes native to Africa and Asia. These fish tend to swim in open water. Schilbid catfishes usually have dorsal fins with a short base and a spine, but '' Parailia'' lack a dorsal fin altogether. Most species also p ...

. It is native to many major river systems in Africa. Other common names for the fish include butter fish, butter barbel, African glass catfish, lubangu, mystus catfish, silver barbel, and silver catfish. It was originally described as ''Silurus mystus'' by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

in 1758.

Description

The African butter catfish has a compressed body and an

adipose fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported only b ...

is always present. It can grow up to TL and has reported up to a maximum weight of . It is a brownish color on the head and the dorsal surface of the fish, and silvery-white on the underside. The fins are usually colorless. The lifespan of the fish is estimated to be 6 to 7 years It is commonly found in standing or slowly flowing open water of lakes, ponds, rivers, and shallow swamps where vegetation is present. It is occasionally found in sandy or rocky streams, or shallow flood plains. It feeds from mid-water and surface waters on fish, insects, crustaceans, ostracods, snails, seeds, leaves, roots, diatoms, algae, and fruit. It has been noted to feed on the fish species Elephant snout (''Hyperopisus bebe'') and

Nile tilapia The Nile tilapia (''Oreochromis niloticus'') is a species of tilapia, a cichlid occurring naturally in parts of Africa (such as its namesake Nile River) and the Levant, though numerous introduced populations exist outside its natural range. T ...

(''Oreochromis niloticus''). The species is most active at night or in subdued light. It spawns in the rainy season in September and October, by migrating into the floodwaters and tributaries of rivers and streams to spawn. It may spawn in multiple locations, depositing eggs on vegetation.

Uses

This fish is of commercial importance in many parts of Africa as an important food fish. It is also sold in the aquarium trade. In northern Africa, the fish faces threats from dams, water pollution, drought, and water depletion. Overall, the species is listed by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

as Least Concern for central, northern, northeastern, and western Africa. In eastern Africa, the species is in serious decline due to

overfishing Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish (i.e. fishing) from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally (i.e. the overexploitation of the fishery's existing Fish stocks, fish stock), resu ...

and exploitation and is assessed regionally as Vulnerable.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q134992 Schilbe Catfish of Africa Freshwater fish of Angola Freshwater fish of Kenya Freshwater fish of Namibia Freshwater fish of Tanzania Fish of Botswana Freshwater fish of West Africa Fish of Cameroon Fish of the Central African Republic Fish of Chad Fish of Egypt Fish of Ethiopia Fish of Sudan Fish of Eswatini Fish of Zambia Fish of Zimbabwe Fish described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Taxonomy articles created by Polbot