Teleostei (teleosts) >
Siluriformes (Catfishes) >
Schilbeidae (Schilbid catfishes)
Etymology: mystus: Probably from the Greek "mustes" which literally means "initiated in the mysteries" (Ref. 43912).
More on author: Linnaeus.
Issue
This species was commonly known as Schilbe (Eutropius) niloticus; the morphological examination of the holotype of Silurus mystus Linnaeus, 1758 (De Vos and Skelton, 1990) has shown that this specimen and Schilbe (Eutropius) niloticus Rüppel, 1829 belong to the same species; this results in the substitution of the name S. niloticus by the oldest name available, in this case, S. mystus.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal; potamodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 4 - 69 m. Tropical; 23°C - 27°C (Ref. 1672); 25°N - 27°S, 17°W - 45°E
Africa: Nilo-Sudanese species, known from the Nile basin and in West Africa from the Senegal River eastwards to the Cross, Wouri and Sanaga River, including the Chad basin (Ref. 43912). Various reports, including from the Ogowe and Congo River basin or Zambia and Zimbabwe, are based on misidentifications (Ref. 43912). Reports from Angola and Tanzania are questionable and need confirmation.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 13.1, range 15 - ? cm
Max length : 35.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 57127); max. published weight: 250.00 g (Ref. 3799); max. reported age: 7 years (Ref. 7248)
Dorsal spines (total): 1; Dorsal soft rays (total): 6. Diagnosis: adipose fin present (Ref. 43912, 57127, 81643) and fully developed (Ref. (Ref. 57127, 81643). Anterior nostrils more closer to each other than to posterior ones; inner margin of pectoral-fin spine strongly denticulate posteriorly (Ref. 43912, 57127, 81643). Nasal barbel reaching to anterior eye margin (Ref. 57127, 81643), but never extending beyond posterior margin of eye (Ref. 43912, 57127, 81643). Mouth subterminal (Ref. 57127, 81643), snout reaching beyond lower jaw (Ref. 43912). 45-64 branched anal-fin rays and 8-15 gill rakers on lower limb of first gill arch (Ref. 43912, 57127, 81643).
Lacustrine as well as fluviatile species, confined to lakes and moderate to large rivers (Ref. 43912). Shoals in standing or slowly flowing open water with emergent or submerged vegetation. Generally more active at night or in subdued light. Feed from mid-water and surface waters on a wide variety of foods including fish, insects, shrimps, snails, plant seeds, and fruit. Oviparous, eggs are unguarded (Ref. 205). Often important spawning migrations occur (Ref. 43912). Breed during the rainy season and may be either a single or multiple spawner in different localities, laying eggs on vegetation. May live up to 6-7 years (Ref. 7248). Max total length 45.0mm (Ref. 43912). Also caught with drawnets. In general considered as a flavoured, first class eating fish (Ref. 43912).
Distinct pairing (Ref. 205).
De Vos, L., 1995. A systematic revision of the African Schilbeidae (Teleostei, Siluriformes). With an annotated bibliography. Ann. Mus. R. Afr. Centr., Sci. Zool., 271:1-450. (Ref. 43912)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: commercial
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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=0.00776 (0.00611 - 0.00986), b=3.01 (2.94 - 3.08), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.5 ±0.4 se; based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.09-0.94; tmax=6-7; assuming fec > 10,000).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (40 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 128 [51, 292] mg/100g; Iron = 1.48 [0.69, 2.75] mg/100g; Protein = 16.9 [15.1, 18.7] %; Omega3 = 0.542 [0.207, 1.418] g/100g; Selenium = 78.6 [34.3, 193.3] μg/100g; VitaminA = 37.6 [13.9, 92.5] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.5 [1.0, 2.1] mg/100g (wet weight);
