| Hydrocynus forskahlii | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Family: | Alestidae |
| Genus: | Hydrocynus |
| Species: | H. forskahlii |
| Binomial name | |
| Hydrocynus forskahlii | |
| Synonyms [3] | |
| |
Hydrocynus forskahlii, the elongate tigerfish, is a species of predatory characin from the family Alestidae which is found in northern and western Africa.
Hydrocynus forskahlii has pronounced stripes along the length of the body. There are two scales between the pelvic fin insertion and the lateral line, less than for other species of tigerfish such as Hydrocynus brevis which has 23-5 scales in the same position. The lateral line scale count is between 46 and 53 scales and the anal fin ray count is 3 soft, unbranched rays with 11-14 branched rays. It is a slenderer species than other Hydrocynus and the depth of the body averages 22.6 per cent of its length and the head averages around 20 per cent of the body length. It has 9 to 14 teeth in the upper jaw and 8 to 12 in the lower jaw and the jaws are frequently short and upturned. They are similar in colour and pattern to Hydrocynus vittatus being bright, silvery white in color, but with a grayish tail that has red, orange or yellow colour only on its lower lobe. [5]
They are normally less than 30 cm in length, although large specimens may be 45 cm and they normally weigh about 2.3 kg, the world record rod caught specimen was 4.08233 kg. [5] Although a maximum weight of 15.5 kg has been reported. [2]
Hydrocynus forskahlii is found in central Africa in Lake Albert, Lake Turkana and Lake Gandjule and in the Congo River, Omo River and Nile. In West Africa it occurs in the Chad Basin, Niger River, Benue River west to the Senegal River and River Gambia. It is also present in coastal river basisn and in the Cross River basin, Wouri River and Sanaga River. [2] In some basins it is sympatric with Hydrocynus brevis . [5]
Hydrocynus forskahlii is a pelagic, potamodromous species of open water, it prefers the well oxygenated surface waters. [1]
Little known, the sources quoted in Fishbase and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species for the behaviour of Hydrocynus forskahlii appear to refer to Hydrocynus vittatus in Lake Kariba. [1] [2] The West African pike characin Hepsetus odoe avoids competition with and predation by Hydrocynus forskhali by showing a preference for the upper courses of rivers where H. forskahli is less abundant or is absent. [6] In Lake Kainji, Nigeria, Hydrocynus forskahlii preys mainly on small clupeids however the largest specimens feed more heavily on the characid Alestes baremoze . [7]
Hydrocynus forskahlii was previously considered synonymous with Hydrocynus vittatus sensu lato , hence the confusion mentioned under Ecology above, but this view is not supported by recent molecular studies. In fact, it is suggested that there are two species within the lineage currently recognised as H. forskahlii, with the newly identified lineage being confined to the Sanaga River. [8]
The generic name Hydrocynus is from the Greek hydro meaning water and kyon meaning dog and is a direct translation of the Egyptian Arabic name for this species Kelb el bahr, or water dog. The specific name commemorates the Swedish explorer and naturalist Peter Forsskål. [9]
Hydrocynus forskahlii is preserved by salting, especially in Upper Egyptian Nile, but most are now imported as salted fish from Sudan. [1] Tigerfish are rare in the aquarium trade but this species is the most commonly traded and kept species. [5] As Hydrocynus forskahlii is a commercially important species it suffers from heavy fishing pressure. In addition it is threatened by dams, water pollution, groundwater extraction and drought. [1]
The Congo tetra is a species of fish in the African tetra family, found in the central Congo River Basin in Africa. It is commonly kept in aquaria.
The African arowana or Nile arowana is a species of bonytongue. Despite being called an "arowana", the African arowana is more closely related to arapaimas, the only other members in the subfamily Arapaiminae, than the South American, Asian, and Australian arowanas in the subfamily Osteoglossinae. Compared to these, the African arowana has a more terminal mouth and is the only one that feeds extensively on plankton.
Tigerfish can refer to fish from various families, and derives from official and colloquial associations of these with the tiger. However, the primary species designated by the name "tigerfish" are African and belong to the family Alestidae.
The African fish eagle or the African sea eagle, is a large species of eagle found throughout sub-Saharan Africa wherever large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply occur. It is the national bird of Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. As a result of its large range, it is known in many languages. Examples of names include: Vis Arend in Afrikaans, nkwazi in Chewa, aigle pêcheur in French, hungwe in Shona, inkwazi in isiZulu, and ntšhu in Northern Sotho. This species may resemble the bald eagle in appearance; though related, the two species occurs on different continents, with the bald eagle being resident in North America.
Lake Ossa is a lake that lies west of Edéa in the Littoral Province of Cameroon. Lake Ossa, together with the smaller lakes Mevia to the northeast and Mwembe to the southwest, form the Lake Ossa complex. The lake complex covers an area of 39.27 km2, and is Cameroon's largest natural lake.
Hepsetus odoe, the African pike characin, is a predatory freshwater characin belonging to the family Hepsetidae. It was formerly considered that there was a single species of Hepsetus pike characin but recent studies have led to the species being split and Hepsetus odoesensu stricto is the west African representative of the group.
Alestes is a genus in the family Alestidae, known as the "African Characidae" as they are found exclusively on that continent. As suggested by that name, they Alestidae was formerly included in Characidae. Myletes is a synonym of Alestes, but the former name has historically also been used for various South American serrasalmines.
Hydrocynus is a genus of large characin fish in the family Alestidae commonly called "tigerfish," native to the African continent. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek ὕδωρ ("water") + κύων ("dog"). The genus contains five species, all popularly known as "African tigerfish" for their fierce predatory behaviour and other characteristics that make them excellent game fish. Hydrocynus are normally piscivorous, but H. vittatus is the only freshwater fish proven to prey on birds in flight.
The Lake Tanganyika sardine is a species of freshwater fish in the family Clupeidae which was endemic to Lake Tanganyika but which has now been introduced to other lakes in Africa as a food source. It is monotypic within the genus Limnothrissa. It and the Lake Tanganyika sprat are known collectively as kapenta.
Micralestes stormsi is a species of fish in the family Alestidae. It is found in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia. Its natural habitat is rivers.
The redbreast tilapia is a species of fish in the family Cichlidae. It is found widely in the southern half of Africa. Its natural habitats are freshwater lakes and freshwater marshes. It is known as the redbreast kurper in South Africa.
Synodontis xiphias is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to the Niger River basin of Nigeria. It was first described by German ichthyologist Albert Günther in 1864, from specimens obtained in the Niger River. The species name xiphias comes from the Greek word xiphos, meaning sword, which refers to the long snout that was observed on the stuffed type specimen.
Raiamas senegalensis is a species of cyprinid fish in the genus Raiamas from western Africa east to the River Nile. It sometimes is found in the aquarium trade.
Hydrocynus goliath, also known as the goliath tigerfish, giant tigerfish, or mbenga, is a very large African predatory freshwater fish of the family Alestidae.
Ladigesia roloffi, the Sierra Leone dwarf characin, is a species of African tetra that is found in Sierra Leone and Liberia. It is the only member of its genus.
Hydrocynus vittatus, the African tigerfish, tiervis or ngwesh is a predatory freshwater fish distributed throughout much of Africa. This fish is generally a piscivore but it has been observed leaping out of the water and catching barn swallows in flight.
Hydrocynus tanzaniae, the blue tigerfish, is a large African predatory freshwater fish.
Hydrocynus brevis, also known as the tigerfish, Nile tigerfish or Sahelian tigerfish, is a predatory freshwater fish distributed throughout Africa.
Hepsetus cuvieri, sometimes known as the African pike or Kafue pike characin, is a predatory freshwater fish found in southern Africa. This species was described in 1861 by the French naturalist Francis de Laporte de Castelnau.
Alestes baremoze, the pebbly fish or silversides, is a species of characin fish from the freshwater systems of northern and western Africa. It has some importance as a commercially exploited food fish.
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