Schilbe mystus
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Schilbe mystus |
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| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
Schilbe mystus is a species of glass catfish that is widespread in tropical Africa. The distribution area extends from the Nile in the north to the Zambezi in the south and from Senegal in the west, over Lake Chad to Lake Victoria in the east. The species is a type of the genus Schilbe .
features
Schilbe mystus is a maximum of 25 cm long, the maximum weight is 250 g. The catfish has an elongated body, a short dorsal fin standing far forward and a long anal fin . The caudal fin is forked. The broad mouth is surrounded by four pairs of barbels of roughly equal length . The body is whitish in color and has a silvery sheen. On each side of the body, three gray to pigeon-blue longitudinal bands extend from the rear edge of the gill cover to the tail fin stalk. The back is dark, the belly whitish. The anal fin is bluish, the other fins opaque and gray. There is a black, almost rectangular patch directly behind the gill cover. Females are plump, males smaller and slimmer. Males have a clearly visible genital papilla . Schilbe mystus can live six to seven years.
- Fins formula : dorsal I / 6–8, anal 58–60, pectoral 1/11, ventral 6–7.
Way of life
Schilbe mystus lives in schools, swimming in open water and is more active during the day than at twilight or at night. It feeds on smaller fish, insects , crustaceans , snails, seeds and fruits and looks for food on the surface of the water and at medium depths. It reproduces during the rainy season and lays its spawn in aquatic plants. Brood care does not take place.
literature
- Hans-Jochim Franke: Handbook of Welskunde. Urania-Verlag, 1985.
- Günther Sterba : The world's freshwater fish. 2nd Edition. Urania, Leipzig / Jena / Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-332-00109-4 .
Web links
- Schilbe mystus on Fishbase.org (English)
- Schilbe mystus in the Red List of Endangered Species of the IUCN 2013.1. Posted by: Azeroual, A., Bousso, T., Getahun, A., Lalèyè, P., Moelants, T. & Twongo, T., 2009. Retrieved November 17, 2013.