African arowana: Difference between revisions
m →Range |
GrahamBould (talk | contribs) mNo edit summary |
||
| Line 15: | Line 15: | ||
}} |
}} |
||
The '''African arowana''' |
The '''African arowana''', ''Heterotis niloticus'', is one of seven members of the arowana family that is rarely imported for the home aquarist. The only plankton-feeding [[Osteoglossidae|osteoglossid]], in captivity it is known to be willing to accept dry, floating pellets on a regular basis and, in fact, sometimes does not consume live goldfish. The African arowana has a more terminal mouth than other species of arowana (''[[Osteoglossum]]'' and ''[[Scleropages]]''). |
||
==Description== |
==Description== |
||
| Line 33: | Line 33: | ||
{{fish-stub}} |
{{fish-stub}} |
||
[[Category: |
[[Category:Osteoglossidae]] |
||
[[pt:Heterotis]] |
[[pt:Heterotis]] |
||
Revision as of 18:45, 12 November 2006
| African Arowana | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Subfamily: | |
| Genus: | Heterotis
|
| Species: | H. niloticus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Heterotis niloticus | |
The African arowana, Heterotis niloticus, is one of seven members of the arowana family that is rarely imported for the home aquarist. The only plankton-feeding osteoglossid, in captivity it is known to be willing to accept dry, floating pellets on a regular basis and, in fact, sometimes does not consume live goldfish. The African arowana has a more terminal mouth than other species of arowana (Osteoglossum and Scleropages).
Description
Like all arowanas, the African arowana is a long-bodied fish with large scales, long dorsal and anal fins set far back on the body, and a rounded caudal fin. Its height is 3.5 to 5 times Standard Length (SL). It has been reported to reach up to 100 cm (39 in) SL and weigh up to 10.2 kg (22 lb).
This fish is gray, brown, or bronze in color. Coloration is uniform in adults, but juveniles often have dark longitudinal bands.
African arowanas have air-breathing organs on its branchiae, enabling them to survive in oxygen-depleted water. A suprabranchial organ allows it to concentrate small planktonic food particles and also has a sensory function.
Range
This species is widespread throughout Africa, where it is native to all the watersheds in Sahelo-Sudanese region, Senegal, and Gambia as well as parts of eastern Africa. This range includes the basins of the Corubal, Volta, Ouémé, Niger, Bénoué, and Nile Rivers as well as those of Lake Chad and Lake Turkana. It has been successfully introduced to Côte d'Ivoire, the Cross River in Nigeria, the Sanaga and Nyong rivers in Cameroon, and Ogooué River in Gabon, as well as the lower and middle Congo River basin, including Ubangui and Kasaï Rivers. It has also been introduced in Madagascar. In some cases, introduction is reported to have had a negative impact on the local ecology.
References
- "Heterotis niloticus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 24 January.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help) - Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2005). "Heterotis niloticus" in FishBase. 10 2005 version.
 | This fish-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |