Elongate tigerfish (Hydrocynus forskahlii)

Scientific name: Hydrocynus forskahlii Cuvier, 1819

Elongate tigerfish (Hydrocynus forskahlii)

The Elongate tigerfish (Hydrocynus forskahlii) is a freshwater fish of the family Alestidae.

Biology

Forms shoals. An open water predator often found near the water surface. Feeds on fishes, preferring long bodied fish as they are easier to swallow and also takes insects, grass and snails. Cannibalistic. Preyed upon by fish eagle Haliaeetus vocifer. Breeding migrations have been reported up several tributaries of Lake Kariba during the rains. Affinities: H. vittatus.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Hydrocynus forskahlii
Family
Alestidae (African tetras)
Order
Characiformes (Characins)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
78.0
Environment
Freshwater; pelagic; potamodromous
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Africa: Nile, Lake Albert [=Lake Mobutu Sese Seko], Lakes Turkana and Gandjule (Margherita), Senegal, Niger, Volta, C?te d'Ivoire, Guinea, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Liberia, Benue, Omo, Gambia, Chad, Sierra Leone, Benin.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.17-0.45; tmax=4)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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