Acestrorhynchus microlepis, Pike characin : fisheries, aquarium

Acestrorhynchus microlepis (Jardine, 1841)

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

Teleostei (teleosts) > Characiformes (Characins) > Acestrorhynchidae (Smallscale pike characins) > Acestrorhynchinae
Etymology: Acestrorhynchus: Greek, agkistron = hook + Greek, rhyngchos = snout (Ref. 45335).

Issue
See Toledo-Piza & Menezes, 1996:579 for detailed description.

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

Freshwater; benthopelagic; pH range: 5.5 - 6.5. Tropical; 18°C - 28°C (Ref. 13614)

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

South America: Amazon and Orinoco River basins and rivers of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 37.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 111697); max. published weight: 230.00 g (Ref. 111518)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 2; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8 - 10; Anal spines: 3 - 5; Anal soft rays: 22 - 30. Possesses a minute spot behind the opercle; lateral line scales 91-131; small eye 17.9-34.1% head length; snout length 32.5-50.0% head length (Ref. 52916).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Common in black and clear water streams and rivers, as well as lagoons and other off-channel habitats associated with whitewater rivers (Ref. 52916). Prefers slow currents and a silty or sandy bottom. Like other species of the genus, it is a formidable predator (Ref. 12225). Strict piscivore; however, it consumes insects during the dry periods of the year (Ref. 27188).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Menezes, N.A., 2003. Family Acestrorhynchidae (Acestrorhynchids). p. 231-233. In R.E. Reis, S.O. Kullander and C.J. Ferraris, Jr. (eds.) Checklist of the Freshwater Fishes of South and Central America. Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS, Brasil. (Ref. 38248)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 13 February 2020

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items (preys)
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
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Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Distribution
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Occurrences
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BRUVS - Videos
Anatomy
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Physiology
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Nutrients
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Swimming type
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Visual pigments
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Toxicity (LC50s)
Genetics
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Human related
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Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
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Taxonomy
Common names
Synonyms
Morphology
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References
References

Tools

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Special reports

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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search |