Erpetoichthys calabaricus Smith, 1865

Reedfish

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Polypteriformes \| Polypteridae
Synonyms	Calamoichthys calabaricus, Herpetoichthys calabaricus, Erpetoichthys robbianus, ... more
Common names	Sailfin, Lakisa, 苇栖多鳍鱼, ... more

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Main reference

Gosse, J.-P. 1990. (Ref. 2835)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 37.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 78138)

Environment

Demersal; freshwater; brackish; pH range: 6.0 - 8.0; dH range: 5 - 19; depth range 0 - ? m (Ref. 557)

Climate / Range

Tropical; 22°C - 28°C (Ref. 1672)

Africa: Ogun River mouth in Nigeria to Chiloango River in Congo Brazzaville (Ref. 2835).
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 7 - 13; Dorsal soft rays (total): 0; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 9 - 14; Vertebrae: 110 - 113. Body elongate and anguilliform (Ref. 42768, Ref. 42908). Body height 24 times in total length; head length 11-14 times in total length (Ref. 2835). Head without sub-operculars, very slightly flattened, 1.6-2 times longer than wide; upper jaw prominent (Ref. 2835). Lateral eyes, eye-diameter 7.5-8.5 times in head length (Ref. 2835). Dorsal fin is composed of a series of well-separated spines each supporting one or several articulated rays and a membrane (Ref. 42791). Body covered with rhombic ganoid scales (Ref. 42791). 106-114 perforated scales on longitudinal line; 30-34 around body (Ref. 2835). Brown-olive colored on dorsal part and whitish on ventral portion, a big black spot on pectoral fins (Ref. 2835).

In slow flowing rivers and standing waters (Ref. 557). Apparently restricted to reedy habitats (Ref. 42768). It moves snake-wise over the bottom, but it can also side-wind quite rapidly through the water (Ref. 42873). Feeds at night on worms, crustaceans and insects (Ref. 7020). Able to breathe air and thus can tolerate low oxygen concentrations. Larvae have external gills and resemble salamander larvae (Ref. 557). The size of 90 cm TL (Ref. 3188) is not confirmed; largest size in collections is 37 cm (Ref. 78138).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Not Evaluated	Harmless

Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: commercial


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

Tools
Biogeographic modelling \| Bio-Quiz \| E-book \| Field guide \| Identification keys \| Length-frequency wizard \| Life-history tool \| Point map

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Summary page \| Point data \| Common names \| Photos

Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
Low to moderate vulnerability (30 of 100)	Not marketed/unknown

Entered by Luna, Susan M.

Modified by Casal, Christine Marie V.

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Page last modified by : elaxamana, 15 July 2009

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