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Labeo mesops Günther, 1868

Tana labeo
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Labeo mesops
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Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Cypriniformes (Carps) > Cyprinidae (Minnows or carps) > Labeoninae
Etymology: Labeo: Latin, labeo = one who has large lips (Ref. 45335); mesops: From the Greek word mesos meaning middle or half and opsis meaning sight; name refers to the state of the type material which was only half of the skin (Ref. 26190).
More on author: Günther.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; benthopelagic; potamodromous (Ref. 51243). Tropical

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Africa: present in Lake Malawi basin (Ref. 1878, 52161, 55909, 96560), Juba system (1440) and Ruvuma River (Ref. 1440, 97286). Status Tana River population is uncertain (Ref. 52331). Reports from the Lufira River, Upper Congo River basin (Ref. 1440, 26190), are misidentifications of Labeo rosae (Ref. 96560).

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm 33.9  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 39.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2801)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 3; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10 - 12; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 5; Vertebrae: 34.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found in shallow water over sandy bottoms (Ref. 5595, 52161). Is a mud-feeder (Ref. 52161), feeds from the biocover and sediment on the sand (Ref. 5595). Also caught using weirs and baskets; formerly very abundant in Malawi, but now rare except where rivers drain undisturbed soil; possible that silt prevents development of eggs (Ref. 4967). Indications that it may leave the lake and run up rivers to spawn (Ref. 52161).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Spawns in small, muddy wet season rivers leading to swampy dambos (Ref. 2781). Holds its spawn until the rivers flood.

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Tshibwabwa, S.M., 1997. Systématique des espèces africaines du genre Labeo (Teleostei, Cyprinidae) dans les régions ichtyogéographiques de Basse-Guinée et du Congo. I. Presses Universitaires de Namur, Namur, Belgique. 302 p. (Ref. 26190)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

  Critically Endangered (CR) (A2ac+3cd); Date assessed: 23 May 2018

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: of no interest; aquaculture: experimental; aquarium: commercial
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
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Ecology
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Length-weight rel.
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References

Tools

E-book | Field guide | Length-frequency wizard | Life-history tool | Point map | Classification Tree | Catch-MSY |

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoobank | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00912 (0.00423 - 0.01964), b=3.05 (2.88 - 3.22), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  2.0   ±0.00 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):  Low to moderate vulnerability (29 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 187 [52, 326] mg/100g; Iron = 0.926 [0.548, 1.671] mg/100g; Protein = 16.3 [15.4, 17.2] %; Omega3 = 0.418 [0.163, 1.162] g/100g; Selenium = 305 [114, 870] μg/100g; VitaminA = 20.6 [7.7, 57.4] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.64 [0.88, 3.32] mg/100g (wet weight);