Heterobranchus longifilis Valenciennes, 1840
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The vundu (Heterobranchus longifilis) is a species of large airbreathing catfish found widely in rivers and other freshwater habitats of sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the Nile. It is also called the sampa, cur, lenda, or certa.
Wikipedia contributors, Vundu; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:47:45.723293+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Heterobranchus longifilis Valenciennes, 1840
- Name authority
- Valenciennes, 1840
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Siluriformes
- Family
- Clariidae
- Genus
- Heterobranchus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderSiluriformes
- familyClariidae Bonaparte, 1845
- genusHeterobranchus Geoffroy St. Hilaire, 1809
- speciesHeterobranchus longifilis Valenciennes, 1840
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Heterobranchus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Heterobranchus bidorsalis Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809 | ClariidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Heterobranchus boulengeri Pellegrin, 1922 | ClariidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Heterobranchus isopterus Bleeker, 1863 | ClariidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Heterobranchus longifinis Valenciennes, 1840 Valenciennes, 1840 | synonym |
| Heterobranchus platycephalus Nichols & LaMonte, 1934 Nichols & LaMonte, 1934 | synonym |
| Clarias loangwensis Worthington, 1933 Worthington, 1933 | synonym |
| Heterobranchus laticeps Peters, 1852 Peters, 1852 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Cuvier, G., & Valenciennes, A. (1840). Histoire naturelle des poissons. Tome quinzième. Suite du livre dix-septième. Siluroïdes. Tome Quinzième. Suite Du Livre Dix-Septième. Siluroïdes., v. 15: i–xxxi + 1–540, Pls. 421–455. [Valenciennes authored volume. i–xxiv + 1–397 in Strasbourg edition.]. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3L7TP. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.