Heterobranchus

Heterobranchus is a genus of airbreathing catfishes native to Africa. However, H. palaeindicus, an extinct species of the genus, was discovered in the Siwalik Hills, India, dating to the Lower Pliocene.

Depending on the exact species involved, fish of this genus reach from 64 to 150 cm with H. longifilis being the largest strict freshwater fish in southern Africa, reaching 150 cm SL and weighing up to 55 kg.

Species
This genus contains four recent and two fossil species:

Recent species

 * Heterobranchus bidorsalis É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809 (African Catfish)
 * Heterobranchus boulengeri (Pellegrin, 1922)
 * Heterobranchus isopterus (Bleeker, 1863) —found in West Africa—
 * Heterobranchus longifilis Valenciennes, 1840 (Vundu; Sampa)

Fossil species

 * †Heterobranchus austriacus (Thenius, 1952)
 * †Heterobranchus palaeindicus (Lydekker, 1886)