You can sponsor this page

Heterotis niloticus  (Cuvier, 1829)

African bonytongue
Add your observation in Fish Watcher
Native range | All suitable habitat
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Heterotis niloticus   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
Upload your photos and videos
Pictures | Stamps, Coins | Google image
Image of Heterotis niloticus (African bonytongue)
Heterotis niloticus
Picture by Laleye, P.


country information

Common names: [No common name]
Occurrence:
Salinity:
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments:
National Checklist:
Country Information:
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
National Database:

Classification / Names

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Osteoglossiformes (Bony tongues) > Arapaimidae (Bonytongues)
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Common names from other countries

Main reference

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 100.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 31256); max. published weight: 10.2 kg (Ref. 2920)

Length at first maturity
Lm ?, range 40 - 40 cm

Environment

Freshwater; pelagic; depth range 1 - ? m (Ref. 13851)

Climate / Range

Tropical; 25°C - 30°C (Ref. 2060), preferred ?; 16°N - 3°N, 17°W - 37°E

Distribution

Africa: native in all the basins of the Sahelo-Sudanese region, the Senegal, Gambia, Corubal, Volta, Ouémé, Niger, Bénoue, Chad and Nile basins and Lake Turkana (Ref. 2920, Ref. 3012, Ref. 3514). Successful introductions in the storage reservoirs of Côte d'Ivoire, the Cross, Sanaga, Nyong and Ogowe rivers and the lower and middle Congo basin, including Ubangui and Kasaï (Ref. 2920); rapidly enlarged its distribution in the Lualaba (upper Congo basin) after extraordinary inundations in 1979 (Ref. 51906). Also introduced in Madagascar (Ref. 13333). Several countries report adverse ecological impact after introduction.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 32-37; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 34 - 39; Vertebrae: 66 - 69. Elongated and robust body, its height 3.5 to 5 times in standard length (Ref. 2920). Relatively short head, its length 3.5 to 5 times in standard length (Ref. 2920, Ref. 5156). Dermal bones of the cranium are deeply carved by large sensory pits (Ref. 1878, Ref. 2920). The lips are thick and there is a dermal flap on the border of the gill cover (Ref. 13851). Conical teeth (Ref. 5156). Dorsal and anal fins, which are spineless, elongated and posteriorly positioned, ending close to the small, rounded caudal fin (Ref. 3032, Ref. 13851, Ref. 28714, Ref. 30488). Caudal peduncle very short (Ref. 2756, Ref. 3054, Ref. 3069). Strong, large scales (Ref. 28714, Ref. 30488), oval with the exposed portion thick and corrugated, with a more or less vermiform sculpture (Ref. 53264): 34-40 lateral-line scales, 2.5/6 scales on the lateral side of the body before the pelvic fin, 5-6 scales between dorsal and anal fin (Ref. 367, Ref. 2756, Ref. 2920, Ref. 5156). The lateral line is extending in a straight line from above the operculum to the middle of the caudal peduncle (Ref. 1878). The number of gill rakers increases with the length; 33 (young) to 98 on the ceratobranchial and 21 (young) to 76 on the epibranchial (Ref. 2920). Young specimens possess external gills (Ref. 30488). Uniform gray, brown or bronze colored (Ref. 2920), darker during the reproduction-period (Ref. 367). Young specimens are often marked with dark longitudinal bands and scales with an oval spot in the posterior zone of the anal and dorsal fin (Ref. 2920).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Maximum observed length in Lake Kainji: 100 cm, observed weight: 10000 g (Ref. 3034, Ref. 3799). Young found in swampy places among aquatic vegetation (Ref. 5156, Ref. 30488); adults live in the open water of rivers and lakes, where they can be found in the pelagic zone as well as the littoral zone (Ref. 5156). Are able to survive in deoxygenated waters; the hardiness of this fish, together with its great growth rate make it a candidate for aquaculture in Africa and it has been transported to a number of countries for this purpose (Ref. 1739, Ref. 50623). Escapees from ponds into the wild resulted in established populations, which form the basis for fisheries (Ref. 1739). Are considered as mud-feeders (Ref. 6160), but in West Africa also as phytoplankton feeders (Ref. 3023, Ref. 31256). Feed mostly on plankton, being the only plankton-feeders of the Osteoglossidae (Ref. 13851). It has a suprabranchial organ which has a sensory function, but also a mechanic function in concentrating the little food particles (Ref. 3012, Ref. 50624). During breeding, mature adults create a circular nest in swamps (Ref. 13851, Ref. 26281, Ref. 41544). The young leave the nest after a few days and are guarded by the male (Ref. 26281).

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Threat to humans

  Potential pest (Ref. 40814)



Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; aquarium: commercial

More information

Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Recruitment
Abundance
References
Aquaculture
Aquaculture profile
Strains
Genetics
Allele frequencies
Heritability
Diseases
Processing
Mass conversion
Collaborators
Pictures
Stamps, Coins
Sounds
Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
Brains
Vision

Tools

Special reports

Download XML

Internet sources

Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)
PD50 = 1.0312 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278)
2.7   ±0.1 se; Based on diet studies.

Resilience (Ref. 69278)
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.22-0.4; Fec > 1,000)

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)
Moderate to high vulnerability (55 of 100)
Price category (Ref. 80766)
Unknown