On the osteology and myology of the cephalic region and pectoral girdle of Heteropneustes fossilis (Siluriformes: Heteropneustidae), with comments on the phylogenetic relationships between Heteropneustes and the clariid catfishes

The osteological and myological structures of the cephalic region and pectoral girdle of the Asiatic catfish Heteropneustes fossilis are described and compared with those of several other catfishes, as the foundation for an analysis on the phylogenetic relationships of the genus Heteropneustes. Our observation and comparisons support a close relationship between Heteropneustes and the clariid catfishes. More specifically, the present study supports De Pinna's 1993 study, according to which Horaglanis and Uegitglanis, two genera commonly included in the family Clariidae, are the sucessive sister-groups of a monophyletic clade composed by the genus Heteropneustes and the remaining clariid genera.