Smallmouth yellowfish
| Smallmouth yellowfish | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Cyprinidae |
| Genus: | Labeobarbus |
| Species: | L. aeneus |
| Binomial name | |
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Labeobarbus aeneus (Burchell, 1822) |
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The smallmouth yellowfish (Labeobarbus aeneus) is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Labeobarbus. It has become an invasive species in rivers of the Eastern Cape, South Africa, such as the Mbhashe River.
The Orange-Vaal River system is one of the few in South Africa that is truly international. The source of the Orange river is in Lesotho and that of the Vaal on the Mpumalanga highveld whereas their tributaries extend well into most provinces of South Africa as well as into Botswana and Namibia. The Orange river eventually flows into the Atlantic Ocean at Oranjemund on the West coast border between South Africa and Namibia. The river drains hugely diverse terrestrial habitat types ranging from grasslands, mountains and karoo to desert. This results in diverse riverine habitats that include clear mountain streams, turbid waters of the middle Orange river and the nutrient-rich discoloured water of the lower reaches of both rivers. Several in stream dams have changed the natural flow of the upper reaches to a regulated flow in the middle and lower reaches. This river system is home to South Africa's best known and favourite sport yellowfish, the Orange-Vaal smallmouth yellowfish, L. aeneus.
The smallmouth yellowfish is a hardy and adaptable species that is widespread across its natural distribution range. It has the ability to inhabit smaller streams owing to its smaller size. Attaining a mass of around 9 kg it is an opportunistic feeder, eating a variety of food types ranging from plant material to aquatic insects, crabs, shrimps and small fish.
The smallmouth yellowfish is a slow-growing species with a low egg to mass ratio (fecundity), only becoming sexually active at a fork length of 30 cm when it is almost seven years old. During the spawning season the skin of the male fish is covered in sensory papillae, giving it a rough feel to the touch. This is also found in females but to a lesser extent, therefore always wet your hands before handling fish as dry hands can remove this critical mucous layer that protects the skin and scales.
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Wikipedia