Freshwater fishes of Israel; a revised and updated annotated checklist- 2023 Author Çiçek, Erdoğan Department of Biology, Faculty of Art and Sciences, Nevşehir Hacı BektaşVeli University, Nevşehir, Türkiye Author Fricke, Ronald Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde in Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany Author Sungur, Sevil Health Services Vocational School, Nevşehir Hacı BektaşVeli University, Nevşehir, Türkiye Author Çapar, Osman Bahadir Faculty of Fisheries, Cukurova University, Türkiye Author Golani, Daniel Deparment of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel text Zootaxa 2023 2023-11-13 5369 4 451 484 https://www.mapress.com/zt/article/download/zootaxa.5369.4.1/52255 journal article 278560 10.11646/zootaxa.5369.4.1 8a95fa8d-aaf9-4550-9a5b-0e8408ecb1bd 1175-5326 10146651 62878FA8-7CC7-462C-9FBF-C9BAEF177855 Clarias gariepinus Burchell, 1822 [N]—North African catfish; Sfamnun matzui Taxonomy. Original description: Silurus (Heterobranchus) gariepinus Burchell, 1822: 425 , fig. on p. 445 [Vaal River, at Smidtsdrift, above confluence with Riet River, Cape Province , South Africa ( 28°42’10”S , 24°04’29”E ); neotype : SAIAB 520; neotype evidently selected by Bruton & Teugels (1982) but first published in Skelton &Teugels (1992) (see Seegers (1996: 206)].— Israel synonyms: Clarias orontis Günther, 1864 ; Clarias lazera Valenciennes, 1840 .—Revisions: Teugels (1982: 442) .—Illustration: Skelton & Teugels (1992 : figs. 1-2). Status in Israel . First record from Israel by Günther (1865: 490) , Lortet (1883: 151) and Tristram (1884: 169) as Clarias macracanthus (non Günther, 1864 ), and Steinitz (1953: 214) as Clarias lazera ; confirmed by Goren (1974: 92 as Clarias lazera ), Goren & Ortal (1999: 4) .—Israel material: HUJ. Distribution and habitat. Distribution in Israel : Jordan River basin and the coastal plain.—Distribution in River Basin: 1-Western Basin, 2-Dead Sea Basin, 3-Kinneret Basin.—General distribution: Widespread in Africa, Asia Minor , and the Middle East. Widely introduced elsewhere.—Distribution in Ecoregion: 436-Coastal Levant, 438- Jordan River.—Habitat: This species is a benthopelagic (living and feeding near the bottom as well as in midwaters or near the surface), potamodromous (migratory), and freshwater fish species. Freshwater, brackish. Economic importance. Commercially important. Conservation. Conservation Status in Israel : Unknown.—IUCN: LC ( IUCN 2023 ).—Threats: This species is of major economic importance all over its range and it is even an important aquaculture species.—Low sensitivity to human activities.—Not considered a keystone species.—Decline status: Unknown.—Low priority for conservation action.