Alestes

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Alestes
Alestes baremoze

Alestes baremoze

Systematics
Cohort : Otomorpha
Sub-cohort : Ostariophysi
Otophysa
Order : Tetras (Characiformes)
Family : African tetras (Alestidae)
Genre : Alestes
Scientific name
Alestes
Müller & Troschel , 1845

Alestes is a genus of fish from the African tetra family (Alestidae). The species live in fresh waters of tropical Africa .

features

Alestes species have an elongated, silvery body and are 6.3 to 60 cm long. A small part of the eye is covered by a crescent-shaped, well-developed, vertical nictitating membrane. The tooth formula for both jaws is 6-8 / 8-2. The dorsal fin begins above or just behind the base of the pelvic fin, more or less above the middle of the body, and is supported by two simple and seven to nine branched fin rays. Their fin rays are never elongated. The scales have radius-shaped depressions that are not connected to one another. There are 1½ to 2 scales between the lateral line and the pelvic fins. The swim bladder extends behind the anus into the tail fin stalk. In some species, the fontanelles of the front parietal bone remain wide open even in adulthood. The sexes can be differentiated by the shape of the anal fin, which is convex in adult males and straight or concave in juvenile fish and females.

Way of life

Alestes species live as schooling fish in lakes and rivers. They are swarm spawners, the eggs (300 or more) are released via fine-feathered plants.

species

A total of seven species belong to the genus Alestes .

Alestes liebrechtsii

Many species that were previously attributed to Alestes are now placed in the genus Brycinus .

literature

  • Günther Sterba : Freshwater fish in the world . Urania Verlag., Leipzig 1990; Licensed edition for Weltbild Verlag GmbH, Augsburg 1995, ISBN 3-89350-991-7 .
  • Günther Sterba (Ed.), Gert Brückner: Encyclopedia of Aquaristics and Special Ichthyology. Neumann-Neudamm, Melsungen u. a. 1978, ISBN 3-7888-0252-9 .
  • Melanie Stiassny, Guy Teugels & Carl D. Hopkins: The Fresh and Brackish Water Fishes of Lower Guinea, West-Central Africa, Volume 1. ISBN 9789074752206 .

Web links

Commons : Alestes  - collection of images, videos and audio files