Moggel

Last updated

Moggel
Labeo umbratus00.jpg
Painted by Johannes Schumacher (1779)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Subfamily: Labeoninae
Genus: Labeo
Species:
L. umbratus
Binomial name
Labeo umbratus
(A. Smith, 1841)
Synonyms

Moggel (Labeo umbratus) is a freshwater African fish in genus Labeo. It occurs within the drainage basin of the Orange River. The species has been recorded in the [Vaal], Olifants River in Mpumalanga and Limpopo, introduced there by anglers.

Contents

This species is similar to L. capensis in colour and in its pronounced anterior barbels. It can withstand temperatures below 10 °C and is mainly found in stagnant water, muddy dams and in large impoundments. Juveniles of the species prey on invertebrates while adults subsist on detritus and mud. It is an important food source and is considered a useful species in wastewater aquaculture when combined with other aquatic organisms. [2]

Size

Length: 500mm-600mm. Weight: 2.9KG

Distribution

Africa: within the drainage basin of the Orange river and in southern watersheds of the Cape region. There are records of Labeo umbratus from the Olifant's river (Limpopo system) where it has been introduced by anglers. Has also been translocated in the Olifants-Limpopo system.

Behavior

Found mainly in standing waters, shallow dams and muddy shallow areas such as in large impoundments. Juveniles feed on small invertebrates while adults feed on detritus and mud soft sediments.

Breeding

The Moggel breed after rains in summer, migrating upstream to suitable spawning sites, usually over flooded grassy banks of rivers with shallow rocky sections. Female lays about 250 000 small sticky eggs which attach to grass and rocks, they hatch after 40 hours thereafter the newly hatched larvae repeatedly swim to the surface and get carried away by the current to deeper water. [3]

Uses

Valued as an important, nutritious food source and is recommended for use in wastewater aquaculture in combination with other aquatic organisms. [2]

Occasionally caught by anglers using bait or flies whilst targeting other species, is known for its strong fighting ability. It is often regarded as an 'easter egg' fish when caught as they are nearly impossible to target specifically, catches are usually by chance. Important in commercial and subsistence fisheries and also used in aquaculture and physiological research. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow perch</span> Species of freshwater fish

The yellow perch, commonly referred to as perch, striped perch or preacher is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Samuel Latham Mitchill from New York. It is closely related, and morphologically similar to the European perch ; and is sometimes considered a subspecies of its European counterpart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catla</span> Species of fish

Catla, also known as the major South Asian carp, is an economically important South Asian freshwater fish in the carp family Cyprinidae. It is native to rivers and lakes in northern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan, but has also been introduced elsewhere in South Asia and is commonly farmed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquatic ecosystem</span> Ecosystem in a body of water

An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem found in and around a body of water, in contrast to land-based terrestrial ecosystems. Aquatic ecosystems contain communities of organisms—aquatic life—that are dependent on each other and on their environment. The two main types of aquatic ecosystems are marine ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems. Freshwater ecosystems may be lentic ; lotic ; and wetlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arctic lamprey</span> Species of jawless fish

The Arctic lamprey, also known as the Japanese river lamprey or Japanese lampern, is a species of lamprey, a jawless fish in the order Petromyzontiformes. It inhabits coastal freshwater habitat types in the Arctic. Some populations are anadromous, spending part of their lives in the ocean. It is the most common and widespread lamprey in the Arctic region.

The Albanian barbel is a ray-finned fish species in the family Cyprinidae. It is often referred to as "Albanian barbel" in a literal translation of its scientific name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clanwilliam yellowfish</span> Species of threatened fish endemic to the Western Cape, South Africa

The Clanwilliam yellowfish is a ray-finned fish species in the family Cyprinidae. It has long been placed in Barbus, the "wastebin genus" for barbs, by default; however, the species is increasingly being restored to related yellowfish genus Labeobarbus which seems a much more appropriate placement. It is hexaploid like the other yellowfish, among which it is more closely related to the smallscale yellowfish than to the largescale yellowfish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bony bream</span> Species of fish

Bony breamNematalosa erebi are a widespread and common, small to medium-sized Australian freshwater fish often found in large shoals throughout much of northern and central Australia, and the Murray-Darling basin.

Classification of wetlands has been a problematical task, with the commonly accepted definition of what constitutes a wetland being among the major difficulties. A number of national wetland classifications exist. In the 1970s, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance introduced a first attempt to establish an internationally acceptable wetland classification scheme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catostomidae</span> Family of fishes

The Catostomidae are the suckers of the order Cypriniformes, with about 78 species in this family of freshwater fishes. The Catostomidae are almost exclusively native to North America. The only exceptions are Catostomus catostomus, found in both North America and Russia, and Myxocyprinus asiaticus found only in China. In the Ozarks they are a common food fish and a festival is held each year to celebrate them. The bigmouth buffalo, Ictiobus cyprinellus, can reach an age up to 127 years, making it the oldest known freshwater teleost by more than 50 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange River mudfish</span> Species of fish

Orange River mudfish is a species of fish in genus Labeo. It inhabits the Orange River system of southern Africa.

Klerkskraal Dam is a combined gravity and arch type dam located on the Mooi River, near Ventersdorp, North West, South Africa. It was established in 1969 and its main purpose is to serve for irrigation. The hazard potential of the dam has been ranked high (3). The dam is also a well known bass fishing destination in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver labeo</span> Species of fish

The silver labeo is an African species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae. It can reach a length up to 30 cm and weight of 1 kg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smallmouth yellowfish</span> Species of fish

The smallmouth yellowfish is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Labeobarbus. It has become an invasive species in rivers of the Eastern Cape, South Africa, such as the Mbhashe River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warpaint shiner</span> Species of fish

The warpaint shiner is a species of freshwater fish found in North America. It is common in the upper Tennessee River basin as well as in the Savannah River, the Santee River, and the New River in North Carolina. Adults have a mean length of 9 centimetres (3.5 in) and can reach a maximum length of 14 centimetres (5.5 in). The maximum age reported for this species is 4 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creek chubsucker</span> Species of freshwater fish

The creek chubsucker is a freshwater fish of the sucker family (Catostomidae).

<i>Ameiurus platycephalus</i> Species of fish

Ameiurus platycephalus, the flat bullhead, is a species of North American freshwater catfish native to the waters of the southeastern United States from Virginia to Georgia. This species grows to a maximum length of 29 cm (11 in) TL though it is more commonly about 23 cm (9 in) long.

<i>Brachionus calyciflorus</i> Species of rotifers

Brachionus calyciflorus is a planktonic rotifer species occurring in freshwater. It is commonly used as a model organism in toxicology, ecology and evolutionary biology.
Its advantages include the small size and short generation time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dollar sunfish</span> Species of fish

The dollar sunfish is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. It is categorized as a warm water pan-fish. Early settlers said that this species of sunfish resembled a European species they called bream. Historically it has been found along the Southern Atlantic coastal drainages from North Carolina to Florida, and west to Texas. Lepomis marginatus mainly feeds on detritus and filamentous algae as well as a few terrestrial insects. The juvenile and mature fish do not have many predators, but the eggs in the nest are in danger of predation from a few different species of fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mud darter</span> Species of fish

The mud darter is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is endemic to the lowlands of the Mississippi River basin from Wisconsin and Minnesota south to Louisiana and East Texas. It is also found in the drainages of the Sabine and Neches Rivers of Texas and Louisiana. It can be found in slow-moving waters on riffles in rivers, as well as in creeks, swamps, lakes, and reservoirs. It mostly consumes the larvae of midges and blackflies. This species can reach a length of 7.1 cm (2.8 in), though most only reach a length of 5 cm (2.0 in).

<i>Tilapia sparrmanii</i> Species of fish

Tilapia sparrmanii, the banded tilapia, or vlei kurper, is a widespread and adaptable cichlid fish that is found in warmer freshwater habitats of southern Africa. They prefer water with ample plant cover, and occur naturally as far north as DR Congo and Tanzania. They have been introduced locally in the northern hemisphere. Younger banded tilapia feed on crustaceans and insect larvae, while the adults feed on terrestrial and aquatic plants and other debris. They undertake local migrations and may shoal before and during spawning time. They guard their own eggs, and although they may move eggs or fry in the mouth, they are not known to be actual mouthbrooders like several other tilapia species. This species can reach a length of 23.5 centimetres (9.3 in) TL and is an important foodfish.

References

  1. Swartz, E.; Impson, D. (2007). "Labeo umbratus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: 2007: e.T63288A12635757. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T63288A12635757.en .
  2. 1 2 FishBase
  3. 1 2 Skelton, Paul H. (1993). A Complete Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Southern Africa. Southern book publishers. pp. 177–178. ISBN   1 86812 493 2.