In South Africa this species has a restricted distribution, however it is not threatened with extinction at present as it is widespread and not impacted by threats, the species is assessed as Least Concern nationally. It has a wide distribution range, with no known major widespread threats. It is also listed as Least Concern globally.
Distribution
Blunt-toothed African Catfish (Clarias ngamensis) is a wide-ranging species in the southern half of Africa, from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to South Africa. It is a swamp/floodplain specialist that is widespread in southern African and common where such habitats occur. It ranges from southern Congo catchments through to the Phongolo System in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. In Zambia it is known from the Lualaba and Luapula Rivers, Lakes Mweru and Bangweulu in Zambia. In the DRC it is recorded from the upper Kasai System. In Malawi it has been recorded from Lake Malawi but is extremely rare there, although it is common in the Elephant Marsh in the Lower Shire. In South Africa and Eswatini (Swaziland) it has been recorded from the lower sections of the Phongolo River. In the upper Zambezian systems floodplains (Okavango, Kunene and Zambezi) it is common in Angola, Namibia, Botswana and Zambia (Skelton 2001). There are almost no records from coastal southern Mozambique but it would be expected there in the lower sections of large rivers.
[@article{18475,
author = {Skelton, P.H.},
title = {A Complete Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Southern Africa},
year = {2001}
}
,@article{181632,
author = {Konings, A.},
title = {<i>Konings's Book of Cichlids and All the Other Fishes of Lake Malawi</i>},
year = {1990}
}
,]
