On the biology of the catfish Chrysichthys auratus (Geoffory) in the man-made Tiga Lake in Northern Nigeria

(1) A study was made of the biology of Chrysichthys auratus, a bottom‐feeding omnivore, in Tiga Lake, a man‐made lake in Northern Nigeria. (2) Ripe females were present from April to September, coinciding with the hot season and rise in water level. First spawning took place at age II in females. No...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Freshwater biology 1984-01, Vol.14 (1), p.43-51
Main Author: Sturm, M.G.L. de
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Autoecology
Biological and medical sciences
Chrysichthys auratus
Freshwater
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
lakes
ponds
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Summary:(1) A study was made of the biology of Chrysichthys auratus, a bottom‐feeding omnivore, in Tiga Lake, a man‐made lake in Northern Nigeria. (2) Ripe females were present from April to September, coinciding with the hot season and rise in water level. First spawning took place at age II in females. No ripe males were found, and this was attributed to their spatial separation. Absolute fecundity was related to length and ranged from 327 to 1466 in forty‐six females. (3) Hyaline rings on the centra of lumbar vertebrae were counted to age 235 fish. The first ring is laid down at the end of the second year, after which the rings were formed annually, probably during the breeding season. The fish live for up to 6 years. There is a good fit of the growth curve to the von Bertalanffy equation. Growth is slow and a smaller maximum size is attained than in rivers.
ISSN:0046-5070
1365-2427
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2427.1984.tb00020.x