Movement and habitat use by the marbled lungfish Protopterus aethiopicus Heckel 1851 in Lake Baringo, Kenya

The marbled lungfish, Protopterus aethiopicus, a recent introduction into Lake Baringo, Kenya is now an important commercial species there. Because little is known about its behaviour, we used ultrasonic telemetry to investigate its movements and use of habitat as part of a broader biological study....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hydrobiologia 2005-03, Vol.537 (1-3), p.229-238
Main Authors: MLEWA, Chrisestom Mwatete, GREEN, John M, SIMMS, Alvin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abiotic factors
Agnatha. Pisces
Animal and plant ecology
Animal migration
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Aquatic ecosystems
Biological and medical sciences
Biotelemetry
Commercial species
Fish
Freshwater
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects
Habitat utilization
Habitats
Lakes
Protopterus aethiopicus
Synecology
Telemetry
Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution
Water depth
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Summary:The marbled lungfish, Protopterus aethiopicus, a recent introduction into Lake Baringo, Kenya is now an important commercial species there. Because little is known about its behaviour, we used ultrasonic telemetry to investigate its movements and use of habitat as part of a broader biological study. Twelve marbled lungfish were implanted with ultrasonic tags and tracked for variable periods between September 2001 and 2002. Two individuals were tracked for most of the study period. Daily movement ranged from little or none to 5.2 km. Mean hourly rates of movement for three fish located twice a day (morning and late afternoon) over several days suggested that individuals were active throughout the diel period. Maximum lake depth was about 3 m and fish utilized all depths greater than 1 m. Six home ranges described for four lungfish varied in size from 5.8 to 19.8 km ^sup 2^ and were occupied for between 2 and 4.5 months. Use of habitat and the movement of marbled lungfish in Lake Baringo appeared to be influenced more by biotic than abiotic factors.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:0018-8158
1573-5117
DOI:10.1007/s10750-004-3076-3