African sicklefish

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African sicklefish

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Moroniformes
Family: Drepaneidae
Genus: Drepane
Species:
D. africana
Binomial name
Drepane africana
Osório, 1892
Synonyms[2]
  • Drepane punctata africana Osório, 1892
  • Cryptosmilia luna Cope, 1867
  • Drepane punctata octofasciata Pellegrin, 1905

The African sicklefish (Drepane africana) is a species of

Drepaneidae, the sicklefishes. This fish is found in the costal waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean from the Canary Islands and Mauritania south to Angola, including the Cape Verde Islands and the islands of the Gulf of Guinea.[1] It is a coastal species found over sandy and muddy bottoms between depths of 10 and 75 m (33 and 246 ft), moving into coastal lagoons at sexual maturity.[2]

Taxonomy

The African sicklefish was first formally

type locality given as the west coasts of the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, the two islands which make up the nation of São Tomé and Príncipe.[3] It is one of three species in the genus Drepane, the only genus in the monogeneric family Drepaneidae which is classified in the order Moroniformes.[4]

Description

The African sicklefish has a deep and strongly compressed body, with the front of the body having a steep, slope to the origin of the

total length of 45 cm (18 in).[2]

Distribution and habitat

The African sicklefish is found along the western coast of Africa from the Canary Islands and Mauritania in the north south to Angola, including the Cape Verde Islands. It is found at depths of 20 to 50 m (66 to 164 ft), is a neritic, coastal fish which is found in lagoon and estuarine habitats over sandy and muddy bottoms.[1]

Biology

The African sicklefish breeds in estuaries, but not exclusively, although juveniles have not been confirmed as occurring in other habitats. Its diet comprises bivalves and gastropods,

schools.[2]

Utilisation

The African sicklefish is commercially fisheded for human consumptionusing Bottom trawling, beach seines and purse seines and it is frequently caught as bycatch in the Gambian trawl fishery targeting shrimp.[1]

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T21115107A21913031.en
    . Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2023). "Drepane africana" in FishBase. February 2023 version.
  3. ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Drepane". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  4. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6. Archived from the original
    on 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
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