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Plotosus nkunga Gomon & Taylor, 1982

Stinging eel catfish
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Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
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Plotosus nkunga   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Plotosus nkunga (Stinging eel catfish)
Plotosus nkunga
Picture by Randall, J.E.


Somalia country information

Common names: [No common name]
Occurrence: questionable
Salinity: marine
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Outside distributional range, occurrence needs verification.
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/so.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: van der Elst, R., 1993
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Siluriformes (Catfishes) > Plotosidae (Eeltail catfishes)
Etymology: Plotosus: Greek, plotos = swimming (Ref. 45335).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal.   Tropical

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Western Indian Ocean: Kosi Bay to Knysna in South Africa. Possibly extending to Zanzibar, Tanzania.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 51.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3879)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 1; Dorsal soft rays (total): 4; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 88 - 109. Preserved specimens brown or grey above, lighter brown or whitish below; 2 faint, longitudinal stripes sometimes present on body but not extending onto head (Ref. 3977).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found in estuaries and along open coasts. Enters freshwaters of South Africa (Ref. 3879). Feeds mainly on benthic invertebrates (Ref. 3478).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Taylor, W.R. and J.R. Gomon, 1986. Plotosidae. p. 160-162. In J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). ISBN, Brussels; MRAC, Tervuren; and ORSTOM, Paris. Vol. 2. (Ref. 3879)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)


CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Venomous (Ref. 4537)




Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish: yes
FAO(Publication : search) | FishSource |

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Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet compositions
Food consumptions
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
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Population dynamics
Growths
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
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Maturities
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Egg(s)
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Distribution
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BRUVS - Videos
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Physiology
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Oxygen consumptions
Swimming type
Swimming speeds
Visual pigment(s)
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Toxicities (LC50s)
Genetics
Genetics
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Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 21.7 - 28, mean 26.9 (based on 388 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5020   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00457 (0.00199 - 0.01049), b=3.07 (2.86 - 3.28), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.5   ±0.37 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Moderate vulnerability (45 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Low.