Phongolo suckermouth (Chiloglanis emarginatus)

Scientific name: Chiloglanis emarginatus Jubb & Le Roux, 1969

The Phongolo suckermouth (Chiloglanis emarginatus) is a freshwater fish of the family Mochokidae.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 1; Dorsal soft rays (total): 6; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8. Mouth is used as a sucking disc to hold its position in fast flowing waters. Gut length is less than standard length and the mandibular teeth are used to scrape invertebrates from stones.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Chiloglanis emarginatus
Family
Mochokidae (Squeakers or upside-down catfishes)
Order
Siluriformes (Catfish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
6.5
Environment
Freshwater; benthopelagic; depth range 0 - ? m
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Africa: two areas, tributaries of the Pongolo and Komato-Incomati rivers in South Africa and Swaziland, and the Pungwe and middle and lower Zambezi in Zimbabwe. Threatened by water extraction, river regulation and sedimentation.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: minor commercial
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Fec = 320)

Sources

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

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