Teleostei (teleosts) >
Characiformes (Characins) >
Alestidae (African tetras)
Etymology: Alestes: Greek, alestes, -oy = miller (Ref. 45335); inferus: The name inferus, from the Latin, means below, lower, southern; it is named in reference to the occurrence of the species below a series of rapids on the lower Congo River, in a south bank tributary (Ref. 80450).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; pelagic. Tropical; 5°S - 6°S, 13°E - 14°E
Africa: Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 9.4 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 80450)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 19 - 21; Vertebrae: 39 - 40. This species is distinguished from all its congeners by the following characters: pored lateral line scales 31-33; vertebrae 39-40; gill rakers along lower limb of first arch 15-17; D with 2 unbranched and 8 branched rays; A 3 unbranched and 16-18 branched rays; origin of dorsal fin at, or slightly in front of, vertical through pelvic-fin origin; lateral-line scales with bifurcating external canal in region proximate to overlap with following scale, each bifurcation terminating in a small pore (Ref. 80450).
Collected in shallow water and in deeper pools alongside emergent grasses at the riverbank over a substrate dominated by large rocks and rock rubble (Ref. 80450).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Stiassny, M.L.J., R.C. Schelly and V. Mamonekene, 2009. A new Alestes (Characiformes, Alestidae) from the Mpozo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Copeia 2009(1):110-116. (Ref. 80450)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries
Tools
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5078 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01072 (0.00484 - 0.02371), b=3.02 (2.84 - 3.20), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.0 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
