Scleropages jardinii
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Scleropages jardinii |
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| ( Saville-Kent , 1892) |
Scleropages jardinii is a freshwater fish from the family of osteoglossids (Osteoglossidae). It occurs in northern Australia in rivers thatflowinto the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Timor Sea , and in central southern New Guinea north of the range of Leichhardt's Bone Tonger . Together with it, Scleropages jardinii is also referred to as dotted barramundi , which can lead to confusion with the giant perch Lates calcarifer ,also known as barramundi.
features
Scleropages jardinii can grow to a meter in length, but usually stays at just over half a meter in length. The heaviest documented fish weighed 12.27 kg. Scleropages jardinii s body is elongated and strongly flattened on the sides. It is olive green and has a lot of silvery sheen. On the large scales there are crescent-shaped rust-colored or orange-red spots. The iris is yellow or red. In the side line row (SL) there are 35 or 36 scales, in a line perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 3 to 3.5 scales on each side of the body. The dorsal fin is supported by 20 to 24, the longer anal fin by 28 to 32 fin rays.
Way of life
Scleropages jardinii lives in still water and in slowly flowing sections of rivers and swamps. Usually it is close to the surface between aquatic plants and branches reaching into the water. It is territorial and aggressive towards other species and other large fish. Scleropages jardinii feeds on insects, smaller fish (especially Australian freshwater herring ( Nematalosa erebi )), frogs, crabs and vegetable matter. It reproduces at the beginning of the rainy season when the water temperatures are relatively high (30 ° C). The fish are mouthbrooders . It is believed that both parents participate in brood care. The fish do not consume any food during the breeding phase. The fry mainly eat small crustaceans.
use
The Aborigines caught the spotted barramundi with a special three-pronged hook. The fish usually tear themselves loose from normal fishing hooks and they cannot be caught with the net because of their richly structured habitat. The taste of their meat is compared to the taste of salmon meat .
literature
- Karl-Heinz Lüling: The bone-wolf fish. The new Brehm library, A. Ziemsen Verlag, Wittenberg, 1977
Web links
- Scleropages jardinii on Fishbase.org (English)