Xenentodon cancila

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Xenentodon cancila

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Beloniformes
Family: Belonidae
Genus: Xenentodon
Species:
X. cancila
Binomial name
Xenentodon cancila
(F. Hamilton, 1822)
Synonyms
  • Esox cancila Hamilton, 1822
  • Belone cancila (Hamilton, 1822)
  • Xenenthodon cancila (Hamilton, 1822)
  • Belone graii Sykes, 1839
  • Esox indica McClelland, 1842
  • Esox hindostanicus Falconer, 1868
  • Xenentodon canciloides (non Bleeker, 1853) misapplied

Xenentodon cancila, the freshwater garfish, is a species of

brackish habitats in South and Southeast Asia.[2]

Common names

As a reasonably popular

Belone belone,[6] these fish are much more distantly related to other fishes sometimes called gars (such as the North American gars and South American pike characins).[5] In Assam it is locally known as Kokila. It is known as "Yonna (යොන්නා) or Habarali (හබරලි)" in Sri Lanka
.

Distribution

The freshwater garfish is widely distributed across South and Southeast Asia from India and

Malaysian Peninsula.[4]

Morphology

In common with other needlefish, this species has an elongate body with long, beak-like jaws filled with teeth.[6] The dorsal and anal fins are positioned far back along the body close to the tail.[6] The body is silvery-green, darker above and lighter below with a dark band running horizontally along the flank.[2] Slight sexual dimorphism exists, the male fish often having anal and dorsal fins with a black edge.[4][6] It reaches a length of 40 cm (16 in).[2]

Diet

While aquarium books tend to describe this fish as a

predator that eats animals such as fish and frogs, its natural diet appears to consist almost entirely of crustaceans.[4]

Reproduction

This species is

labyrinth fish.[4]

Human significance

Freshwater needlefish support minor fisheries and are also traded as aquarium fish.[2]

In the aquarium

The freshwater needlefish is one of several of needlefish species kept in public and home aquaria.[6] It has been kept by European aquarists since 1910,[6] and was first bred in captivity at the Biological Station Wilhelminenberg, Austria in 1963.[4] Xenentodon cancila is generally considered quite a difficult species to maintain because of its large size, nervous behaviour, and preference for live foods.[3] Alongside misunderstandings of the natural diet of these fish,[7] there has been confusion over the optimal water conditions required by this species when kept in home aquaria, with the addition of salt to the water often being recommended.[5] These fish do perfectly well in freshwater aquaria.[7]

See also

References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T166522A60589667.en
    . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2013). "Xenentodon cancila" in FishBase. May 2013 version.
  3. ^ a b c Monks N: Straight to the point: the Beloniformes. Practical Fishkeeping, October 2005
  4. ^
    ISBN 3-88244-050-3
    .
  5. ^
    ISBN 0-7938-0564-3. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help
    )
  6. ^ a b c d e f Sterba, G (1962). Freshwater Fishes of the World. Vista Books. p. 609pp.
  7. ^ a b Monks N: Pocket-sized Pikes. Tropical Fish Hobbyist, April 2007
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