Scientific Name
Brycinus macrolepidotus

Common Name
True big-scale tetra

Biology
More common in rivers than lakes. Feeds on insects, crustaceans, fish, vegetation and debris (Ref. 28714).

Classification

Classified By

Valenciennes, 1850

Class

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)

Order

Characins (Characiformes)

Family

African tetras (Alestidae)

Distribution

Region

Africa

Distribution

Africa: Inter-tropical but absent in the Gambia basin. Senegal, Niger, Chad, Volta and basins from Sierra Leone to Cameroon; Sudan border, upper Nile, Albert Nile and Murchison Nile, Lake Albert, Victoria, Omo and Lake Turkana, Congo basin (Ref. 5331).

Range

Unknown

Environment

Climate

Tropical

Water Temperature From

22 °C

Water Temperature To

28 °C

Depth From - meters

Unknown m

Depth To - meters

Unknown m

Zone

pelagic

Environment

Freshwater; brackish; pelagic; potamodromous (Ref. 51243)

Trophic Level

2.34 s.e. 0.22 Based on diet studies.

Occurs in Marine / Salt water

False

Occurs in Brackish water

True

Occurs in Fresh Water

True

Occurs on Reefs

False

Is kept in Aquariums

False

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length

53.0 cm

Common Length

Unknown cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 0.5000 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses

Fisheries: commercial

Vulnerability

Moderate vulnerability (43 of 100)

Resilience

Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Threat To Humans

Harmless

IUCN Red List Status

Least Concern (LC)