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Teleostei (teleosts) > Characiformes (Characins) > Alestidae (African tetras)
Etymology: Micralestes: Greek, mikros = small + Greek,lestes = thief (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Boulenger.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; pelagic; pH range: 6.5 - 7.5; dH range: 10 - 25. Tropical; 23°C - 27°C (Ref. 2060)

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Africa: widely distributed in the Congo basin (Ref. 42032). Also found in the Bénoué, Chad (Ref. 81279), Cross (Ref. 80290, 81279) and the Zambezi River (Ref. 5331, 80290). Report from Lake Tanganyika (Ref. 80290) needs confirmation; in the Lukuga River only known downstream of Niemba (Ref. 36901, 42032). Report from the Cubango/Okavango in Angola (Ref. 5331) unconfirmed (Ref. 120641).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 10.6 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2880)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 17 - 22. Diagnosis: lateral line always complete, 24-27 (Ref. 80290) or 27-30 (Ref. 81279) lateral line scales. Anal fin with 3 unbranched and 15-18 (Ref. 80290) or 14-19 (Ref. 81279) branched rays. 10-15 (Ref. 80290) or 10-14 (Ref. 81279) gill rakers on lower part of first branchial arch. 6/8 premaxillary teeth; fins colorless or, at most, pinkish; tip of dorsal fin hyaline (Ref. 2880, 81279), no black apical tip (Ref. 80290). Scales of flank with melanophores concentrated on basal margin (Ref. 80290).

Affinities: M. humilis is most similar and possibly conspecific with M. stormsi Boulenger, 1902, and M. sardina Poll, 1938; apart from coloration, it is distinguished from latter two species on the basis of slight differences in overlapping features (see Ref. 80290).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Paugy, D. and S.A. Schaefer, 2007. Alestidae. p. 347-411. In M.L.J. Stiassny, G.G. Teugels and C.D. Hopkins (eds.) Poissons d'eaux douces et saumâtres de basse Guinée, ouest de l'Afrique centrale/The fresh and brackish water fishes of Lower Guinea, west-central Africa. Vol. 1. Coll. Faune et Flore tropicales 42. Istitut de recherche pour le développement, Paris, France, Muséum nationale d'histoire naturelle, Paris, France and Musée royale de l'Afrique centrale, Tervuren, Belgique. 800 p. (Ref. 80290)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 13 August 2019

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Aquarium: commercial

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01072 (0.00484 - 0.02371), b=3.02 (2.84 - 3.20), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.1 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives

Resilience (Ref. 120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).

Micralestes humilis Boulenger, 1899