Teleostei (teleosts) >
Siluriformes (Catfishes) >
Amphiliidae (Loach catfishes) > Leptoglaninae
Etymology: Zaireichthys: Composed form Zaire river + Greek,ichtys = fish; the habitat of this fish (Ref. 45335); pallidus: Named for its very pale colouration (Ref. 86935).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical
Africa: upper Zambezi up to and including the Barotse Floodplain in Zambia, the Chobe and Kwando rivers in Namibia, and the Okavango Delta in Botswana (Ref. 86935). Also reported from the Zambezi and Okavango in Angola (Ref. 120641).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 2.4 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 86935); 2.5 cm SL (female)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 2; Dorsal soft rays (total): 4 - 5; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 9 - 12; Vertebrae: 36 - 38. Diagnosis: This species is generally more pallid and less conspicuously marked than other species of Zaireichthys (Ref. 86935). It differs from Zaireichthys conspicuus, Z. kunenensis, Z. lacustris and Z. maravensis in possessing a narrow premaxillary tooth patch, less than 40% of the mouth width; from Z. monomotapa by the smaller number of rays in the dorsal fin, 4-5 soft rays vs. 5-6), pectoral fins, 5-7 vs. 7-8, and caudal fin, 9-13 vs. 14-16; from Z. kavangoensis in colour pattern (Ref. 86935).
Found in shallow water with a sandy bottom (Ref. 94654). It feeds on small invertebrates, including mayfly nymphs and caddis fly larvae (Ref. 94654).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Eccles, D.H., D. Tweddle and P.H. Skelton, 2011. Eight new species in the dwarf catfish genus Zaireichthys (Siluriformes: Amphiliidae). Smithiana Bull. (13):3-28. (Ref. 86935)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Internet sources
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).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.0 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
