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Gonorynchiformes (Milkfishes) >
Phractolaemidae (Hingemouths)
Etymology: Phractolaemus: Greek, phraktos = fence + Greek, laimos = throttle (Ref. 45335).
Eponymy: Dr William John Ansorge (1850–1913) was an English explorer and collector who was active in Africa in the second half of the 19th century. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on author: Boulenger.
Entorno: milieu / zona climática / rango de profundidad / gama de distribución
Ecología
; agua dulce bentopelágico; pH range: 6.0 - 8.0; dH range: ? - 25. Tropical; 25°C - 30°C (Ref. 13371)
Africa: in West Africa from Lake Nokoué (Ouémé River, Benin) (Ref. 81277) to Cross River (Cameroon) (Ref. 52397), including Ogun, Osse and Niger Delta (Ref. 81277). Also in the middle Congo River basin (Ref. 93183) in Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Tamaño / Peso / Edad
Madurez: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 25.0 cm TL macho / no sexado; (Ref. 93183)
Descripción breve
Claves de identificación | Morfología | Morfometría
Espinas dorsales (total) : 0; Radios blandos dorsales (total) : 6; Espinas anales: 0; Radios blandos anales: 6; Vértebra: 34 - 38. Diagnosis: head depressed and strongly ossified; anterior nostril elongate, forming an oblique, forward-pointing tube; posterior nostril crescent-shaped, located just behind the narial tube (Ref. 2913, 81277). Mouth small, protrusible (Ref. 245, 31256, 81277), placed at tip of a proboscis and opening upwards between the narial tubes (Ref. 2913, 81277), on upper surface of snout (Ref. 245, 31256). Narrow gill opening, but opercles very well developed, covering also the underside of the head where they overlap (Ref. 2913, 81277, 93183).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated; Cross section: circular.
Facultative or obligate air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Lives in forest pools and swamps (Ref. 41580). Microphagous (Ref. 4910, 41580, 45483), especially phytophagous (epiphytes), and detritiphagous (Ref. 41580). Swim bladder entirely alveolar, functioning like a lung; this adaptation to aerial breathing allows the fish to survive under poor oxygenation conditions (Ref. 2913, 81277); recorded from nearly deoxygenated lungfish nest in Pool Malebo, Congo DR (Ref. 41585). Gonads, which are largely fused, are situated ventrally, not dorsally, in abdominal cavity (Ref. 41580). Mouth can be projected as a small trunk (Ref. 2913). Eggs transparent, yellow-greenish, 1.5-1.7mm diameter; large females may have several thousands of eggs (Ref. 41580). Particular blood system, with dark coloured and an abundant amouth of blood (Ref. 4910).
Ciclo vital y comportamiento de apareamiento
Madurez | Reproducción | Puesta | Huevos | Fecundidad | Larva
Males and females have lateral tubercles on their body which probably aid in maintaining contact during spawning (Ref. 38266).
Lévêque, C., 1990. Phractolaemidae. p. 189-191. In C. Lévêque, D. Paugy and G.G. Teugels (eds.) Faune des poissons d'eaux douces et saumâtres d'Afrique de l'Ouest. Tome I. Coll. Faune Tropicale n° XXVIII. Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Tervuren, and O.R.S.T.O.M.,Paris, 384 p. (Ref. 2913)
Situación en la Lista Roja de la UICN (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2 (Global))
Amenaza para el ser humano
Harmless
Usos humanos
Herramientas
Informes especiales
Descargar XML
Fuentes de Internet
Estimaciones basadas en modelos
Índice de diversidad filogenética (Referencia 82804) |
PD50 = 1.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high]. |
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Bayesian length-weight
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a=0.00437 (0.00169 - 0.01126), b=3.14 (2.91 - 3.37), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245). |
Nivel trófico (Referencia 69278) |
2.3 ±0.1 se; based on diet studies. |
Vulnerabilidad pesquera (Ref. 59153) |
Low vulnerability (13 of 100). 🛈 |