Clarias batrachus

(walking catfish/ Philippine

catfish)
Adaptations
Anne Bernadette So Kaw
3Bio4

Evolution of Air Breathing

Fishes
Fish-tetrapod transition during Devonian period

Devonian sarcopterygians possessed lungs for

gas exchange while they were still inhabiting
aquatic areas
Air-breathing independently arised in bony
fishes
Primitive bony fishes-lung-like gas bladder
Advanced teleosts- air-breathing organs in
different parts of the body
different segments of the alimentary canal (e.g.
pharynx, esophagus)
outgrowth from the canal(e.g. respiratory swim
bladders or suprabranchial chambers)

 gills connected in series to

the systemic bed in the
vascular circuit
single circulatory system
no vascular specialization to
allow the separation of two
streams of blood through
the central vascular
pathways
deoxygenated systemic
venous blood and
oxygenated effluent blood
from the air-breathing organ
mix together

Air-breathing fishes
- gas exchange with aerial environment
-also water breathing- ventilates respiratory
surfaces
-adaptation in habitats where oxygen may be
depleted
-amphibious and aquatic forms
Amphibious- breathe air while immersed
Aquaticremain Factors
in waterAffecting
and takeAir-Breathing
gulps of air
Environmental
Fishes
o Differences in Air and Water as
Respiratory Media
o Air Breathing in Saltwater and
Freshwater Fishes
o Conditions Affecting the Oxygen Content
of Aquatic Media

Clariidae
Commonly known as air-breathing or walking
catfish
Found in Africa, Asia Minor, Indian
subcontinent, and Southeast Asia
Clarias- paraphyletic
Presence of suprabranchial organ
formed by the second and the fourth gill
arches
o enables them to breath atmospheric
oxygen

 Paired suprabranchial organs in dorsalposterior of branchial cavity

Respiratory trees (arborescent organs)
extensions from upper branchial aches 2
and 4
Opening of chamber- with fan-shaped gill
lamella on upper end of branchial arch
Surfaces of gill chamber- covered with gill
epithelium for aerial respiration

Clarias batrachus (walking catfish)

ability to walk from one water body to
another when their original habitat dries up
during wet seasons using their pectoral fins
gray or gray-brown with many small white
spots laterally
head is flat and broad and the body tapers to
the tail, scaleless with four pair of barbles
feed on a variety of prey, including eggs or
larvae of other fishes, small fishes,
crustaceans and insects
air breathing by means of an organ arising
from the gill arches (suprabranchial
arborescent organ)

Respiration in Clarias Batrachus

Lives in freshwater (low O2, high CO2) >>
hypoxia
Arborescent organs derived from gills and
modified branchial chamber
Suprabranchial chambers situated
dorsally to the gill cavities and lined by
the respiratory membrane
the fan or gill plates borne on each arch
respiratory tree or dendritic plates borne
by the second and fourth gill arches
regularly raises its snout above the water
surface to engulf air for aerial respiration
Larger fishes- O2 uptake more dominant

Air

Suprabranchial
chamber
(opening between
2nd and 3rd
arches)

Aperture
between 3rd
and 4th
arches

in deoxygenated water
exchanges both CO2 and O2 through airbreathing organs and cuts down any
exchange of gases through the skin or gill
Advantage- since in eliminating CO2
through the skin or gill in deoxygenated
water these fishes would run a danger of
losing O2 from blood into the
deoxygenated water
shunting the blood flow into the peripheral
capillaries of the skin
shunting of blood flow through a part of the
respiratory organ which is not needed for gas