Klassifizierung / Names  				 
				Namen | Synonyme | Catalog of Fishes(Gattung, Arten) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa				
			
				
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Lepisosteiformes (Gars) > 
Lepisosteidae (Gars)						
							
							Etymology: Atractosteus: Greek, atraktos, arrow + Greek, osteon = bone (Ref. 45335); spatula: From the words atract, meaning spindle and osteus, meaning bony; spatula (referring to snout shape) (Ref. 10294).
More on author: Lacepède.						
					
				
					Environment: milieu / climate zone / Tiefenbereich / distribution range					
						Ökologie					
				
				
				
					; süßwasser; brackwasser demersal;  tiefenbereich 0 - ? m (Ref. 55223). Subtropical; 44°N -   20°N, 101°W -   82°W (Ref. 55223)				
				 
			
			
			
				
				
				
					North America:  ranges from Mississippi River basin from southwestern Ohio and southern Illinois in USA south to Gulf of Mexico; Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain from Enconfina River in Florida, USA to Veracruz, Mexico.
				
				
			
			
				
					Size / Gewicht / Alter
				
				
				
					Geschlechtsreife: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
 Max length : 305 cm OT Männchen/unbestimmt; (Ref. 3221); common length : 200 cm TL Männchen/unbestimmt; (Ref. 3728); max. veröff. Gewicht: 137.0 kg (Ref. 58490)				
				 
			
			
						
				
				
				
					Large size and broad, short snout.  Light dorsal stripe.  Dark olivaceous brown above and white to yellowish beneath.  Dark brown blotches on all fins (Ref. 37032).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated.				
				 
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
				Facultative air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Adults inhabit sluggish pools and backwaters of large rivers, swamps, bayous, and lakes.  Rarely enter brackish and marine waters (Ref. 5723).  Feed on blue crabs, turtles, waterfowl or other birds and small mammals (Ref. 10294).  Giant of the gars (Ref. 5723).  Marketed fresh (Ref. 37032).			
			 
			
			
			
				
					Life cycle and mating behavior					
					Geschlechtsreife | Fortpflanzung | Ablaichen | Eier | Fecundity | Larven				
				
				
				
								
				
			
			 
				
				
				
					Etnier, D.A. and W.C. Starnes, 1993. The fishes of Tennessee. The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. (pls. check date). (Ref. 10294)
				
				 
			
			
			
							
					
						IUCN Rote Liste Status   (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
					
					
				 
					
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
				
					Bedrohung für Menschen  
				
				
				
					  Harmless				
				
			 
			
			
			
			
				
					Nutzung durch Menschen  				
				
				
					Fischereien: weniger kommerziell; Sportfisch: ja; Aquarium: Öffentliche Aquarien				
				
				
			
			
						
			
			
			
				
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					Estimates based on models				
				
				
				
				
				
					
					Phylogenetic diversity index  (Ref. 
82804):  PD
50 = 0.6426   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].					
													Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00229 (0.00091 - 0.00578), b=3.19 (2.97 - 3.41), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 
93245).
					
					Trophic level  (Ref. 
69278):  4.0   ±0.67 se; based on food items.					
											
				
				
										
						Widerstandsfähigkeit  (Ref. 
120179):  sehr niedrig, Verdopplung der Population dauert mehr als 14 Jahre. (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).					
											
				
									
					Fishing Vulnerability  (Ref. 
59153):  Very high vulnerability (90 of 100). 
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