Rhamphochromis esox

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	ACTINOPTERYGII	PERCIFORMES	CICHLIDAE

Scientific Name:	Rhamphochromis esox
Species Authority:	(Boulenger, 1908)
Taxonomic Notes:	Proposed junior synonyms (Turner et al. 2001) = Rhamphochromis leptosoma Regan, 1922; Rhamphochromis lucius Ahl, 1926.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published:	2006
Assessor/s:	Kazembe, J., Magombo, Z., Makocho, P. & Mailosi, A.
Reviewer/s:	Snoeks, J. (Freshwater Fish Red List Authority) & Darwall, W. (Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment Programme)
Contributor/s:
Justification: Endemic to Lake Malawi where it is widespread with no major widespread threats identified.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Endemic to Lake Malawi where it is never found in large numbers but is widely distributed.
Countries:	Native: Malawi; Mozambique; Tanzania, United Republic of
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	No information available.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Widely distributed in the shelf and rocky reef zones in 2-65 m depth. Juvenile fish are found in the littoral zone, in swampy, sandy and rocky habitats. A major piscivor of the pelagic zone. Length at maturity (minimum) males 20.4 cm and females 18.7 cm SL. Fecundity of 117-680 eggs. It is mostly caught using hand lines, gill nets and sometimes chirimila nets. Occasionally it is caught in demersal and mid water trawls. Juveniles are often caught in beach seines. Max. size: 42 cm SL.
Systems:	Freshwater

Habitat and Ecology:

Widely distributed in the shelf and rocky reef zones in 2-65 m depth. Juvenile fish are found in the littoral zone, in swampy, sandy and rocky habitats. A major piscivor of the pelagic zone. Length at maturity (minimum) males 20.4 cm and females 18.7 cm SL. Fecundity of 117-680 eggs. It is mostly caught using hand lines, gill nets and sometimes chirimila nets. Occasionally it is caught in demersal and mid water trawls. Juveniles are often caught in beach seines. Max. size: 42 cm SL.

Systems:

Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	A potential threat is the use of small meshed seines operating in the shallow sandy areas, which this species uses as nursery grounds.

Major Threat(s):

A potential threat is the use of small meshed seines operating in the shallow sandy areas, which this species uses as nursery grounds.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	No information available.

Conservation Actions:

No information available.

Citation:	Kazembe, J., Magombo, Z., Makocho, P. & Mailosi, A. 2006. Rhamphochromis esox. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 20 June 2013.
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