Benin country information

Common names: [No common name]
Occurrence: native
Salinity: freshwater
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: live export: yes;
Comments: Known from Lac Nokoué (Ref. 2913, 81277).
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/bn.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Lévêque, C. and D. Paugy, 2003
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Blood fish, Bloodfish, Afrikanischer Schlammfisch, ... more

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

Teleostei (teleosts) > Gonorynchiformes (Milkfishes) > Phractolaemidae (Hingemouths)
Etymology: Phractolaemus: Greek, phraktos = fence + Greek, laimos = throttle (Ref. 45335); ansorgii: Named for the presence of 1-3 spines on the scales of the lateral line on the caudal peduncle, and on the 2 scale rows above and below the lateral line series (Ref. 93266).
More on author: Boulenger.

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

Freshwater; benthopelagic; pH range: 6.0 - 8.0; dH range: ? - 25. Tropical; 25°C - 30°C (Ref. 13371)

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

Africa: in West Africa from Lake Nokoué (Ouémé River, Benin) (Ref. 81277) to Cross River (Cameroon) (Ref. 52397), including Ogun, Osse and Niger Delta (Ref. 81277). Also in the middle Congo River basin (Ref. 93183) in Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 25.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 93183)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 6; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 6; Vertebrae: 34 - 38. Diagnosis: head depressed and strongly ossified; anterior nostril elongate, forming an oblique, forward-pointing tube; posterior nostril crescent-shaped, located just behind the narial tube (Ref. 2913, 81277). Mouth small, protrusible (Ref. 245, 31256, 81277), placed at tip of a proboscis and opening upwards between the narial tubes (Ref. 2913, 81277), on upper surface of snout (Ref. 245, 31256). Narrow gill opening, but opercles very well developed, covering also the underside of the head where they overlap (Ref. 2913, 81277, 93183).

Facultative or obligate air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Lives in forest pools and swamps (Ref. 41580). Microphagous (Ref. 4910, 41580, 45483), especially phytophagous (epiphytes), and detritiphagous (Ref. 41580). Swim bladder entirely alveolar, functioning like a lung; this adaptation to aerial breathing allows the fish to survive under poor oxygenation conditions (Ref. 2913, 81277); recorded from nearly deoxygenated lungfish nest in Pool Malebo, Congo DR (Ref. 41585). Gonads, which are largely fused, are situated ventrally, not dorsally, in abdominal cavity (Ref. 41580). Mouth can be projected as a small trunk (Ref. 2913). Eggs transparent, yellow-greenish, 1.5-1.7mm diameter; large females may have several thousands of eggs (Ref. 41580). Particular blood system, with dark coloured and an abundant amouth of blood (Ref. 4910).

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

Males and females have lateral tubercles on their body which probably aid in maintaining contact during spawning (Ref. 38266).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Lévêque, C., 1990. Phractolaemidae. p. 189-191. In C. Lévêque, D. Paugy and G.G. Teugels (eds.) Faune des poissons d'eaux douces et saumâtres d'Afrique de l'Ouest. Tome I. Coll. Faune Tropicale n° XXVIII. Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Tervuren, and O.R.S.T.O.M.,Paris, 384 p. (Ref. 2913)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 05 June 2019

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

FAO(Publication : search) | FishSource |

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Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 1.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00437 (0.00168 - 0.01131), b=3.13 (2.90 - 3.36), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 2.3 ±0.1 se; based on diet studies.

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low vulnerability (15 of 100).

Phractolaemus ansorgii Boulenger, 1901