Hydrolycus scomberoides
| Hydrolycus scomberoides | ||||||||||||
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Hydrolycus scomberoides |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Hydrolycus scomberoides | ||||||||||||
| ( G. Cuvier , 1819) |
Hydrolycus scomberoides , in English. also Dog Tooth Characin (dog tooth characin), Vampire Fish / Tetra (vampire fish), in Venezuela called Cachorra or Chambira, is a predatory fish from South America .
distribution and habitat
Hydrolycus scomberoides lives in the Orinoco and Amazon basins . They are often found in the estuary of the Rio Tapajós and in the area of influence of the Araguaia and Tocantins . They often share their habitat with the large, carnivorous cichlid species Cichla ocellaris . Except in Brazil , Hydrolycus scomberoides is found in tropical lowland waters in Venezuela , Ecuador , Peru and Bolivia .
description
Hydrolycus scomberoides is very similar in its habitus to H. armatus , although the latter can become much larger and heavier. The back of Hydrolycus scomberoides is shiny silver. The largest specimen to date, weighing 17.8 kilograms and having a body length of 108 centimeters, was caught in 1996 near the Uraima waterfalls in the Rio Paraguá in Venezuela.
Way of life
Hydrolycus scomberoides is often found in fast-flowing mean water, in canals or near sandbanks, and also in flooded forests. They can eat fish up to 40–50% of their length. With a length of approx. 27 centimeters, it is ready to spawn. The spawning season takes place in the months of November to April. It can cover great distances during its spawning migrations.
use
Hydrolycus scomberoides is of regional importance as a sport fish. As a food fish, it is hardly noticed. Sometimes it is kept as an aquarium fish.
Web links
- Hydrolycus scomberoides on Fishbase.org (English)
- Head section of a large Hydrolycus scomberoides caught in Bolivia
- Profile of Hydrolycus scomberoides
