Teleostei (teleosts) >
Characiformes (Characins) >
Alestidae (African tetras)
Etymology: Brycinus: Greek, ebrykon, brykomai = to bite, to gnaw (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Boulenger.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; pelagic; potamodromous (Ref. 51243). Tropical; 11°S - 28°S
Africa: Kasai, upper Sankuru, upper Lualaba (Ref. 42019) and Luapula systems (Ref. 45616, 109499) (middle and upper Congo River basin) in Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia. Zambezi system including upper Zambezi, Kafue, Lake Kariba, lower Zambezi, Okavango, Cunene, Buzi (Ref. 7248, 94654) and Caprivi strip (Ref. 37065). Also from coastal north-east Natal to the Lake St. Lucia catchment (Ref. 13332).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 14.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 52193)
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10 - 11; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 18 - 19. Diagnosis: A slimmer fish than Brycinus imberi without a spot behind the head, but with a pronounced black lateral band (normally only visible on dead material) which ends in a caudal dash extending right through the caudal fin (Ref. 13337).
Inhabits shallow, sandy or marshy areas (Ref. 13337). Shoals in clear, slow-flowing or quiet, well-vegetated waters. Often found together with the dashtail and the threespot barb and the close similarity of these species suggests mimicry between them. Feeds on small aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Preyed upon by tigerfish and observed to be eaten by a small crocodile during an upriver migration (Ref. 13337). Moves upstream during rains, possibly to breed. Ovarian egg counts from a large ripe female reach up to 12,000 eggs (Ref. 13337). Used as bait for tigerfish and largemouth bream (Ref. 7248).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae
Skelton, P.H., 1993. A complete guide to the freshwater fishes of southern Africa. Southern Book Publishers. 388 p. (Ref. 7248)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries; bait: occasionally
Tools
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01122 (0.00633 - 0.01990), b=3.04 (2.89 - 3.19), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.5 ±0.50 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K>1).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
