Tropical gar (Atractosteus tropicus)

Scientific name: Atractosteus tropicus Gill, 1863

Tropical gar (Atractosteus tropicus)

The Tropical gar (Atractosteus tropicus) is a freshwater fish of the family Lepisosteidae. Native range: Central America, Caribbean and Pacific drainages of southern Mexico and Central America.

Biology

Inhabit backwaters and slow moving sections of rivers and lakes. Often found in the warm stagnant waters of the lowland. Visible on the surface and resemble floating logs. Enter shallow lakes at the beginning of the dry season to spawn and known to reproduce also in June and July when rains are heaviest and rivers flood their banks providing an ideal spawning habitat of flooded vegetation. Large schools form to cast thousands of eggs in a gelatinous mass in the shallow waters. The adults return again to the river leaving the fry amongst the flooded vegetation. The eggs are poisonous to eat.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Atractosteus tropicus
Family
Lepisosteidae (Gars)
Order
Lepisosteiformes (Gars)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
125
Environment
Freshwater; demersal
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Central America: Caribbean and Pacific drainages of southern Mexico and Central America.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Poisonous to eat
Resilience
Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

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

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