Scientific Name
Alestes macrophthalmus

Common Name
Torpedo robber

Biology
Dorsal spines (total): 2; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 17 - 23. Silvery body, back darker bluish or greenish, lower sides and ventral part white. Pectorals and ventrals sometimes blackish. Well developed fontanel. See additional characters for A. baremoze for sexual dimorphism in Alestes species.

Classification

Classified By

G?nther, 1867

Class

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)

Order

Characins (Characiformes)

Family

African tetras (Alestidae)

Distribution

Region

Africa

Distribution

Africa: Essentially from the Congo basin, but also known from the Cross River in Nigeria and some coastal basins of Cameroon (Ref. 2880). Also known from Ogowe River in Gabon (Ref. 5331), Lake Tanganyika (Ref. 5331) and Cuanza and Luculla Rivers in Angola (Ref. 5331).

Range

Unknown

Environment

Climate

Tropical

Water Temperature From

Unknown °C

Water Temperature To

Unknown °C

Depth From - meters

Unknown m

Depth To - meters

Unknown m

Zone

pelagic

Environment

Freshwater; pelagic

Trophic Level

2 s.e. 0.00 Based on food items.

Occurs in Marine / Salt water

False

Occurs in Brackish water

False

Occurs in Fresh Water

True

Occurs on Reefs

False

Is kept in Aquariums

False

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length

60.0 cm

Common Length

Unknown cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 0.5078 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses

Fisheries: commercial

Vulnerability

Low to moderate vulnerability (25 of 100)

Resilience

High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Threat To Humans

Harmless

IUCN Red List Status

Least Concern (LC)