Introduction of the African catfish Clarias gariepinus (BURCHELL, 1822) into Southern Brazil

We record here the introduction of the African catfish Clarias gariepinus into the Guaraguacu River basin in Parana State, Brazil, an area with an extremely rich endemic fish fauna, including many catfishes. C. gariepinus was introduced as escapees from ponds built for recreational angling. These catfishes are very large and hard predators, thus posing serious potential for impact on the native fish fauna. The impact of C. gariepinus needs study with emphasis on finding means for controlling its spread.