Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Acanthuriformes (Surgeonfishes) > Scatophagidae (Scats)
Etymology: Scatophagus: Greek, skatophagos = feeding upon dung (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Lacepède.

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

Marine; freshwater; brackish; benthopelagic; depth range 0 - 5 m (Ref. 86942). Tropical; 22°C - 30°C (Ref. 1672); 13°N - 29°S, 32°E - 155°E

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Indo-West Pacific: Somalia (Ref. 30573) and Kenya to South Africa, Australia and Papua New Guinea. Also found in the rivers and lagoons of East Africa.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 30.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 6800)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 15 - 18; Anal spines: 4; Anal soft rays: 14 - 15.

Common in harbors and estuaries (Ref. 5480); also found in rivers and lagoons. Forms shoals (Ref. 5480). Feeds on detritus and benthic invertebrates (Ref. 30573). Antirolateral glandular groove with venom gland (Ref. 57406).

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

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Arnoult, J., 1986. Scatophagidae. p. 341. In J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). ORSTOM, Paris and MRAC, Tervuren. Vol. 2. (Ref. 6800)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 28 June 2016

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Venomous (Ref. 57406)

Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators

Ecology
Ecology

Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
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Abundance

Life cycle
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Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
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Eggs
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Distribution
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Anatomy
Gill area
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Physiology
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Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
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Genetics
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Stamps, coins, misc.

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Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 24.7 - 28.6, mean 27 °C (based on 364 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.8125 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.02570 (0.01005 - 0.06572), b=2.96 (2.75 - 3.17), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 2.8 ±0.25 se; based on food items.

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

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low vulnerability (20 of 100).

Price category (Ref. 80766): Low.

Scatophagus tetracanthus (Lacepède, 1802)