Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic; potamodromous (Ref. 51243). Tropical; 11°S - 27°S
Africa: widespread from the middle and lower Zambezi south to the Phongolo system (Ref. 7248, 52193). Also known from the Luachimo River, middle Congo River basin, in Angola (Ref. 11970, 120641). Reported as Labeobarbus cf. marequensis from the lower Congo (Ref. 94750); needs confirmation.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 47.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 52193); max. published weight: 6.0 kg (Ref. 52193)
Prefers flowing waters of perennial rivers; uncommon in dams (Ref. 52193). It feeds on a wide variety of food items, primarily algae and aquatic insect larvae; also small fishes, snails, freshwater mussels and drifting organisms such as beetles and ants (Ref. 52193). Breeds in spring and summer, migrating upstream in rain swollen rivers to spawn in rapids; males mature at 70 mm FL, females mature at 280 mm FL (Ref. 52193). Occurs with the bushveld smallscale yellowfish, Labeobarbus polylepis in southern Limpopo tributaries (Ref. 7248, 52193).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Skelton, P.H., 2001. A complete guide to the freshwater fishes of southern Africa. Cape Town (South Africa): Struik Publishers, 395 p. (Ref. 52193)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries; gamefish: yes
Tools
Special reports
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00427 (0.00195 - 0.00935), b=3.11 (2.90 - 3.32), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.2 ±0.44 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (37 of 100).