Raiamas senegalensis (silver fish, Senegal trout barb or Senegal minnow) is a species of cyprinid fish in the genus Raiamas from western Africa east to the River Nile.[2] It sometimes is found in the aquarium trade.

Raiamas senegalensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Subfamily: Danioninae
Genus: Raiamas
Species:
R. senegalensis
Binomial name
Raiamas senegalensis
Synonyms[3]
  • Barilius senegalensis Steindachner, 1870
  • Barilius loati Boulenger, 1901
  • Raiamas loati (Boulenger, 1901)
  • Barilius macrostoma Boulenger, 1913
  • Raiamas macrostoma (Boulenger, 1913)

Description edit

Raiamas senegalensis has eleven dorsal soft rays and 16 anal soft rays. It is usually marked with less than 15 vertical bars on its sides and a round spot on caudal peduncle.[2] The background colour is silvery with a greyish green dorsum, the vertical bars decrease in size towards the head. The maximum total length is 245 mm (9.6 in).[4] It is not sexually dimorphic.[4]

Distribution edit

Raiamas senegalensis is found in western Africa as far east at the Nile basin. It is found in the basins of the Nile, Lake Chad, Niger, Gambia, Senegal, Volta and the coastal basins of Sassandra, Bandama, Comoé, Tano, Pra, Ouémé, Ogun and Sanaga, which seems to represent its southern distributional limit; it is also known from the Cross River in Cameroon. This means that the countries this species has been recorded in are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan and Togo.[1]

Habitat and ecology edit

Raiamas senegalensis is a freshwater demersal fish.[1] It is predatory planktophage of non insect plankton during the day but switches to insect plankton at night[5]

Human use edit

Raiamas senegalensis is traded within the aquarium trade.[1]

Conservation status edit

Raiamas senegalensis has a wide distribution, there are no known major widespread threats so it is therefore listed as Least Concern.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e Awaïss, A.; Azeroual, A.; Lalèyè, P.; Moelants, T.; Vreven, E. (2010). "Raiamas senegalensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T182738A7956316. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T182738A7956316.en.
  2. ^ a b c "Raiamas senegalensis (Steindachner, 1870) Silver fish". Fishbase.org. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  3. ^ "Synonyms of Raiamas senegalensis (Steindachner, 1870)". Fishbase.org. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  4. ^ a b Stiassny, Melanie L. J.; Teugels, Guy G.; Hopkins, Carl D. Fresh and Brackish Water Fishes of Lower Guinea, West-Central Africa. IRD Editions. p. 569. ISBN 2-7099-1620-7.
  5. ^ Lévêque, C. (1997). Biodiversity Dynamics and Conservation: The Freshwater Fish of Tropical Africa. Cambridge University Press. p. 153. ISBN 0-5215-7033-6.