Leichhardt's bone-picker
| Leichhardt's bone-picker | ||||||||||||
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Leichhardt's Bone Tender in the New York Aquarium |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Scleropages leichardti | ||||||||||||
| Günther , 1864 |
Leichhardts Knochenzüngler ( Scleropages leichardti ) is a freshwater fish from the family of the Knochenzüngler (Osteoglossidae). It was named after the German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt and occurs in the Australian Fitzroy River in central Queensland and was released by humans in several other rivers in Queensland. Together with Scleropages jardinii , whose distribution area adjoins to the north, the fish is also known as spotted barramundi , which can lead to confusion with the giant bass Lates calcarifer , also known as barramundi . It is not certain whether Leichhardt's bone-wolf is actually a species different from Scleropages jardinii and must be clarified through future research.
features
Leichhardt's Bone Tonger can grow to be a meter long, but usually stays just over half a meter long. Its 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.
Way of life
Leichhardt's Bone Tonger lives in still water and in slowly flowing sections of rivers. Usually it stays close to the surface between aquatic plants or branches reaching into the water. It is territorial and aggressive towards other species and other large fish. Scleropages leichardti feeds on insects, smaller fish (especially Australian freshwater herring ( Nematalosa erebi )), frogs and crabs. It reproduces at the beginning of the rainy season when the water temperatures are relatively high. 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.
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
Individual evidence
- ↑ Pusey, BJ, Fisher, C. & Maclaine, J. (2016): On the nature of Scleropages leichardti Günther, 1864 (Pisces: Osteoglossidae). Zootaxa , 4073 (1): 75-84. doi: 10.11646 / zootaxa.4173.1.7
Web links
- Leichhardt's Bone Tong on Fishbase.org (English)
- Scleropages leichardti in the Red List of Endangered Species of the IUCN 2013.2. Posted by: Wager, R., 1996. Retrieved January 12, 2014.