South Africa country information

Common names: Elephantfish, Josef
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: minor commercial | Ref: Compagno, L.J.V., 1986
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: no regulations | Ref: van der Elst, R., 1993
Uses: live export: yes;
Comments: Abundant off the west coast and the southeastern Cape but uncommon off Natal. Target species of a gillnet fishery operating in St. Helena Bay. Marketed locally. Angling record: 6 kg; spearfishing record: 3.6 kg (Ref. 12484). Also Ref. 3180, 27363, 58304.
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/sf.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Compagno, L.J.V., D.A. Ebert and M.J. Smale, 1989
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Masca du Cap, Pejegallo del Cabo, St. Joseph, ... more

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Holocephali (chimaeras) > Chimaeriformes (Chimaeras) > Callorhinchidae (Plownose chimaeras)
Etymology: Callorhinchus: Tautonymous with Chimaera callorynchus Linnaeus 1758 (but unnecessarily emended from -rynchus to -rhinchus: callum (L.), hard skin; rhynchus (L.), snout, referring to peculiar hoe-shaped proboscis. (See ETYFish); capensis: -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Cape of Good Hope, type locality. (See ETYFish).
More on author: Duméril.

Issue
Needs revision.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; demersal; depth range 10 - 374 m (Ref. 5578), usually 10 - 200 m (Ref. 3180). Subtropical; 17°S - 35°S, 11°E - 34°E

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

Southeast Atlantic: Namibia to the Cape and Natal in South Africa (Ref. 5578, 58304).

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m 49.6 range ? - ? cm
Max length : 122 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3180); max. published weight: 5.3 kg (Ref. 40637)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 1. An elephant fish with a hoe-like snout and arched caudal fin (Ref. 5578). Silvery or bronzy with brown markings on flanks and head; fin webs brown (Ref. 5578).

Found from close inshore and shallow bays to the slope (Ref. 5578). Feeds on small fish and a wide variety of invertebrates (Ref. 27121). Oviparous (Ref. 50449). Produces egg-cases that are spindle shaped, with broad horizontal flanges (Ref. 36731). This species is known to host on its gills monogenean parasites Callorhynchocotyle callorhynchi (Manter, 1955) (Hexabothriidae) and Callorhynchicola multitesticulatus Manter, 1955 (Chimaericolidae) on its gills (Ref. 124045, 124046). Sold commercially as 'silver trumpeter' (Ref. 3180) and considered a delicacy in southern Africa (Ref. 27121). Minimum depth reported from Ref. 7403.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Oviparous (Ref. 50449).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Krefft, G., 1990. Callorynchidae. p. 117. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Parisl. Vol. 1. (Ref. 7403)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 02 September 2019

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Traumatogenic (Ref. 12484)

Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish: yes

FAO(Fisheries: production; publication : search) | FIRMS (Stock assessments) | FishSource | Sea Around Us

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet compositions
Food consumptions
Food rations
Predators

Ecology
Ecology
Home ranges

Population dynamics
Growths
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversions
Recruitments
Abundances

Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturities
Fecundities
Spawnings
Spawning aggregations
Egg(s)
Egg developments
Larvae
Larval dynamics

Distribution
Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
BRUVS - Videos

Anatomy
Gill areas
Brains
Otoliths

Physiology
Body compositions
Nutrients
Oxygen consumptions
Swimming type
Swimming speeds
Visual pigment(s)
Fish sounds
Diseases / Parasites
Toxicities (LC50s)

Genetics
Genetics
Electrophoreses
Heritabilities

Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.

Outreach
Collaborators

Taxonomy
Common names
Synonyms
Morphology
Morphometrics
Pictures

References
References

Tools

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

Download XML

Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 10.3 - 21, mean 16.2 (based on 200 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.7500 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00437 (0.00175 - 0.01086), b=3.12 (2.90 - 3.34), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.5 ±0.52 se; based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec assumed to be <100).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): High vulnerability (59 of 100).

Climate Vulnerability (Ref. 125649): Moderate to high vulnerability (50 of 100).

Price category (Ref. 80766): Low.

Callorhinchus capensis Duméril, 1865