Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cypriniformes (Carps) >
Cyprinidae (Minnows or carps) > Labeoninae
Etymology: Labeo: Latin, labeo = one who has large lips (Ref. 45335); altivelis: From the Latin altus meaning high and velum meaning veil, name refers to the dorsal fin (Ref. 26190).
More on author: Peters.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic; potamodromous (Ref. 51243). Tropical; 13°S - 22°S
Africa: lower and middle reaches of the Zambezi River system, including the Shire and Lake Malawi (Ref. 26190). Also in Lake Mweru and the Luapula (upper Congo River basin) (Ref. 26190). Range thought to extend to some East Coast rivers (Rufiji system) (Ref. 1440).
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 27.0 range ? - ? cm
Max length : 49.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5309); max. published weight: 3.6 kg (Ref. 52193); max. reported age: 9 years (Ref. 7248)
Prefers large rivers but is also found in large lakes and dams (Ref. 52193). It grazes on algae and `aufwuchs' from rocks (Ref. 7248, 52193). From October to December in Lake Moëro, the adults gather and migrate to the spawning grounds; they go up the Luapula River up to the foot of Johnston Falls where they undergo one massive spawning between January and March. This massive spawning of short duration is known as kapata in the Luapula-Moëro system and in the tributaries of the Luapula. This species is intensely fished and caviar is produce from eggs collected during migration from Lake Moëro to Luapula River (Ref. 26190).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Tshibwabwa, S.M., 1997. Systématique des espèces africaines du genre Labeo (Teleostei, Cyprinidae) dans les régions ichtyogéographiques de Basse-Guinée et du Congo. I. Presses Universitaires de Namur, Namur, Belgique. 302 p. (Ref. 26190)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries; gamefish: yes
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01000 (0.00527 - 0.01898), b=3.05 (2.89 - 3.21), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 2.0 ±0.00 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tmax=9).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (39 of 100).
