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Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Osteoglossiformes (Bony tongues) > Osteoglossidae (Arowanas)
Etymology: Osteoglossum: Greek, osteon = bone + Greek, glossa = tongue (Ref. 45335).

Environment / Climate / Range Ecology

Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical; 24°C - 30°C (Ref. 1672), preferred ?

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

South America: Amazon River basin, Rupununi and Oyapock Rivers.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 90.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 50892); max. published weight: 6.0 kg (Ref. 72380)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Body covered with very big scales; dorsal and anal fins almost fused with the caudal fin; 2 barbels at the extremity of the lower jaw; adult silvery, juvenile with blue glints and a yellow-orange bar (Ref. 12225).

Is an omnivore with a tendency to feed on fish at the surface. The superior position of the mouth allows it to capture its prey while swimming from below. Also jumps out of the water to feed on large insects (Coleoptera; Ref. 27548). It is capable of adapting to environments with low oxygen levels (Ref. 12225).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

The male carries eggs, larvae and early juveniles (alevinos) in his mouth (Ref. 1672), which lasts for nearly six weeks (Ref. 102836).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2003. Osteoglossidae (Arowanas). p. 30. In R.E. Reis, S.O. Kullander and C.J. Ferraris, Jr. (eds.) Checklist of the Freshwater Fishes of South and Central America. Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS, Brasil. (Ref. 50892)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Not Evaluated

CITES (Ref. 94142)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: commercial

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Common names
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Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development

Age/Size
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Larvae
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Internet sources

Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805): PD₅₀ = 0.7656 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00363 (0.00140 - 0.00941), b=3.13 (2.91 - 3.35), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278): 3.4 ±0.48 se; Based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 69278): .

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Moderate vulnerability (39 of 100) .

Price category (Ref. 80766): Unknown.

Osteoglossum bicirrhosum (Cuvier, 1829)