Teleostei (teleosts) >
Gobiiformes (Gobies) >
Gobiidae (Gobies) > Sicydiinae
Etymology: Sicydium: Greek, sika, sikya = cucumber ; diminutive (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal; amphidromous (Ref. 92840). Tropical
Africa: rivers Sanaga to Ntem in Cameroon, the Benito River in Rio Muni (Equatorial Guinea) and the Kouilou River in Republic of Congo; also known from Ivory Coast (Ref. 57403, 79590). Probably more extensively distributed in the region than presently documented (Ref. 79590).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 8.1 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 57403)
Dorsal spines (total): 7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10; Anal spines: 1; Anal soft rays: 9 - 10. Diagnosis: posterior tip of upper jaw extends to level of anterior 1/3 or 1/2 of eye; each half (left and right) of upper jaw with 22-36 long, slender, setiform, tricuspid teeth (Ref. 57403, 79590). Upper lip crenate, with an inner longitudinal furrow and a small median tubercle just posterior to the median notch; 2 pores in preopercular canal; 2-3 suborbital pigment bands (Ref. 57403, 79590).
Amphidromous freshwater species (Ref. 92840). Inhabits fast flowing parts of rivers that have rocky substrates and usually associated with rainforest zones (Ref. 10702, 57403, 79590). Adults apparently spawn in fresh water but the larvae are carried downstream to the sea, metamorphose and migrate back upstream, this cycle explaining the presence of small specimens in coastal waters (Ref. 79590). Maximum observed standard length 6.63cm (Ref. 10702, 79590). Seems evasive and difficult to catch (Ref. 57403, 79590).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Harrison, I.J., 1993. The West African sicydiine fishes, with notes on the genus Lentipes (Teleostei: Gobiidae). Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwat. 4(3):201-232. (Ref. 10702)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
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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=0.00389 (0.00180 - 0.00842), b=3.12 (2.94 - 3.30), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref.
93245).
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).
