Bathybagrus platycephalus

Bathybagrus platycephalus is a species of claroteid catfish endemic to Lake Tanganyika on the border of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia. It grows to a length of 22.0 centimetres (8.7 inches) in total length. Its original name, or basionym, was Chrysichthys platycephalus. It is fished locally, especially in Burundi.

Bathybagrus platycephalus
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Siluriformes
Family:	Claroteidae
Genus:	Bathybagrus
Species:	B. platycephalus
Binomial name
Bathybagrus platycephalus (Worthington & Ricardo, 1936)[2]
Synonyms[2]
Chrysichthys platycephalus Worthington & Ricardo, 1937

Taxonomy

Bathybagrus platycephalus was first described by Edgar Barton Worthington and Kate Bertram in 1936. It is classified in the Claroteidae family in the order Siluriformes (the catfishes). It has also been referred to by the basionym Chrysichthys platycephalus.^[2]

Distribution

This species is endemic (native to only a single location) to East Africa's Lake Tanganyika, on the border of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia.

Ecology

B. platycephalus is a demersal fish that lives at depths of 20–110 metres. It grows to a maximum of 22.0 cm in total length.^[3] It occurs in the littoral zone and prefers rocky substrates. It is assessed as a least concern species by the IUCN Red List, which notes that while the species faces localized pressure from fisheries and siltation, the concerns are not present throughout all of Lake Tanganyika. Agricultural and forestry runoff represents an additional threat. Studies to determine an estimated population size have not been conducted.^[1] It is most notably fished in Burundi; annual catches are variable, ranging between one ton and 12 tons of fish taken per year between 2011 and 2018, peaking in 2015 and ebbing in 2012, 2013, and 2016.^[4]