Heterobranchus

Heterobranchus is a genus of airbreathing catfish, family Clariidae, order Siluriformes, native to Africa, comprising four living species and two known fossil species. One extinct species, Heterobranchus austriacus, was widely distributed across central, western and eastern Europe during the late Miocene, likely having migrated there from Africa when land connections between the continents formed. Living members of the genus vary considerably in size, from 64 up to 150 centimeters; the largest, Heterobranchus longifilis, known as the vundu, is described as the largest entirely freshwater fish in southern Africa, reaching up to 55 kilograms. Other prominent living species include Heterobranchus bidorsalis, the African catfish, and Heterobranchus isopterus, found in West Africa.