Kambawels
| Kambawels | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Chrysichthys cranchii | ||||||||||||
| ( Leach , 1818) |
The Kambawels ( Chrysichthys cranchii ) is one of the largest catfish species in Central Africa and is up to 1.5 meters long and weighs up to 130 kilograms. Originally the species was described as Pimelodus cranchii . Today, depending on the author, it is assigned to the genera Amarginops (e.g. Mo 1991, Seegers, 2008) or Chrysichthys (e.g. Ferraris 2007). The Kambawels occurs in larger rivers of the Congo Basin , according to Boulenger also in Lake Tanganyika .
Names
The Kambawels (English kamba catfish ) is regionally called Kanzema, Kokuni, Manora or Tshirima. The species name was given in honor of its finder John Cranch.
Way of life
The way of life of the nocturnal Kambawel has not been scientifically researched. The Kambawels is considered to be omnivorous, while in the youth stage it differs from small organisms such as z. B. feeds insect larvae, it prefers more and more other fish with increasing size. The species chooses either rocky soils or places where trees have fallen into the water.
The reproduction rate is very low, it can take between four and a half and 14 years for the population to double.
features
The fish have a large, round head, the elongated body is golden brown to black on the top with green-metallic reflections, and on the underside lighter to pink or ivory in color. The dorsal and pectoral fins have a strong, toothed spine as the first ray. The caudal fin is deeply cut. The anal fin has 12-14 rays, eight to ten of which are branched. The adipose fin is 1½ times longer than high. The pelvic fins are inconspicuous. In addition, the fish have four pairs of barbels (1 pair of long nasal barbels, 1 pair of upper jaw barbels on the side of the mouth, 2 pairs of lower barbels, the outer ones longer than the inner ones).
use
The Kambawels is important locally for fishing. The Lega in the southeast of the Congo use twigs and branches with which they hit the water and thus drive the Kambawelse into the nets. The head and teeth of the predatory fish are also used in their initiation rites. Despite its considerable size and weight, the Kambawel has not yet achieved any importance as a sport fish. It was introduced as an aquarium fish as early as the 1950s, but as a young fish and probably more by chance. Due to its achievable size, it is also not a coveted object for the ornamental fish trade.
Individual evidence
- ^ Fishing World Records
- ↑ Mon, T.-P. (1991): Anatomy and systematics of Bagridae (Teleostei) and siluroid phylogeny. Theses Zoologicae, 17: 1-216.
- ↑ Seegers, L. (2008): Die Welse Afrikas. A handbook for identification and maintenance. Tetra Verlag, Berlin-Velten.
- ↑ Ferraris, CJ, Jr. (2007): Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalog of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa No. 1418: 1-628.
- ^ Boulenger, GA (1911): Catalog of the fresh-water fishes of Africa in the British Museum (Natural History). London. 2: 1-529.
- ↑ Kambawels on Fishbase.org (English)
- ^ Leach, WE in Tuckey, JK (1818): A general notice of the animals taken by Mr. John Cranch, during the expedition to explore the source of the River Zaire. Appendix 4 [pp. 407-419] in: Narrative of an expedition to explore the river Zaire, usually called the Congo, in south Africa, in 1816. John Murray, London.
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from September 15, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Matthes, H. (1964): Les poissons du lac Tumba et de la region d'Ikela. Étude systématique et écologique. Annales du Musee Royal de l'Afrique Centrale Series 8 Sciences Zoologiques No. 126: 1-204.
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from September 18, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Web links
- Zootaxa - Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil On: silurus.acnatsci.org (pdf; 4.9 MB)
- Photo of a Kambawel On: animal.discovery.com
- Chrysichthys cranchii inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.2. Posted by: Moelants, T., 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
