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Distichodontidae (Distichodus)
Etymology: Distichodus: Greek, di = two + Greek, stix, stichos = line, row (Ref. 45335); antonii: Distichodus antonii was probably named in memory of Anton Greshoff 1855-1905 (Nieuw Letterkundig Magazijn) who collected the holotype (Ref. 96324).
Eponymy: Anton (sometimes Antoine) Greshoff (1856–1905) was a trader who arrived in the Congo (1877) and was there for more than 20 years, running the company’s business at Boma. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; pelagic. Tropical
Africa: widespread Congo basin endemic, from Marine Lower Congo up to Upper Lualaba, in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo (Ref. 96324). Absent from Luapula-Mweru (Ref. 7094, 96324).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 55.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 96324)
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 21 - 25; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 12 - 14. Diagnosis: Within the Congo basin, Distichodus antonii can be distinguished from D. affinis, D. altus, D. decemmaculatus, D. noboli, D. notospilus and D. teugelsi by its higher total number of lateral line scales, 52-64 vs. less than 46 in the other species; and from D. maculatus by the absence of large, dark spots all over the body, 9-14 vertical dark bars instead, and a higher number of dorsal fin rays, 21-25 vs. 19-21 (Ref. 96324). Distichodus antonii can be separated from all remaining Congo species by its terminal, vs. inferior, mouth, with the exception of D. lusosso (which has a distinctive elongate snout and only 6 to 8 vertical, dark bars), and by its lower number of scales between the lateral line and the dorsal fin, 10-12 vs. 13-17 (Ref. 96324).
The fry and juveniles of Distichodus antonii live in aquatic prairies and in plant fringes; adults feed in Echinochloa patches and live at the edge of streams along islands and even on the bottom in the middle of the stream (Ref. 96324). The species is a phytophagous species; stomachs almost always contain plant fragments, with easily recognizable twigs and leaves of Echinochloa, which comprises the largest part of their diet (Ref. 96324). It has two annual periods of reproduction and spawning and egg deposition have to take place at the border of the stream, just before the flood. Maximum reported total length is 550 mm (Ref. 1878), although it is stated it can reach a size of more than 800 mm (Ref. 7094, 96324). Maximum weight was recorded at nearly 10 kg (Ref. 7094).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Moelants, T., V. Mbadu Zebe, J. Snoeks and E. Vreven, 2014. A review of the Distichodus antonii assemblage (Characiformes: Distichodontidae) from the Congo basin. J. Nat. Hist. 48(27-28):1707-1735. (Ref. 96324)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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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=0.01479 (0.00616 - 0.03550), b=3.05 (2.86 - 3.24), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (42 of 100).
