Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal. Tropical
Africa: known from Senegal, Casamance, Niger, Volta, Chad basin and certain coastal rivers in Guinéa-Bissau, Togo and Benin (Ref. 2938, 7095, 81281). Also in the Nile and Lake Mobutu Sese Seko (Lake Albert) (Ref. 2938, 7095, 28714).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 84.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7095); max. published weight: 2.5 kg (Ref. 3799)
Dorsal soft rays (total): 20 - 23; Anal soft rays: 23 - 26. Diagnosis: 59-77 lateral line scales (Ref. 28714, 81281). Body depth 1.6-1.9 times and head length 3.3-4.3 times in SL; caudal peduncle length 0.6-0.8 times its depth; short snout, 0.9-1.5 times eye diameter; eye diameter 3.9-6 times in head length; adipose-fin base 1.4-2 times longer than distance separating it from rayed dorsal fin; pointed pectoral fins, shorter than head (0.6-0.85 times head length) and as long as pelvic fins; cycloid scales; scale formula 17.5-18.5/59-71/18.5-19.5; 13.5-15.5 scales between lateral line and pelvic-fin base; 20-23 dorsal fin rays; 23-26 anal fin rays (Ref. 2938, 81281).
Occurs in open water and vegetation beds of lakes and flowing water; ingests mud containing benthic and sedimented algae; spawns in the perennial wetland at high water (in the Sudd in South Sudan) (Ref. 28714).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Gosse, J.-P., 1990. Citharinidae. p. 261-268. In C. Lévêque, D. Paugy and G.G. Teugels (eds.) Faune des poissons d'eaux douces et saumâtres de l'Afrique de l'Ouest. Tome I. Coll. Faune Tropicale n° XXVIII. Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Tervuren and O.R.S.T.O.M., Paris, 384 p. (Ref. 2938)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial
Tools
Special reports
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5195 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01413 (0.00665 - 0.03001), b=2.98 (2.79 - 3.17), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 2.2 ±0.13 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): High vulnerability (61 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 67.1 [28.4, 160.5] mg/100g; Iron = 1.39 [0.69, 3.27] mg/100g; Protein = 18.1 [16.0, 20.3] %; Omega3 = 0.299 [0.112, 0.820] g/100g; Selenium = 104 [42, 243] μg/100g; VitaminA = 12 [3, 39] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.39 [0.93, 2.15] mg/100g (wet weight);
