Hingemouth

📖 Overview

Facultative or obligate air-breathing ; Lives in forest pools and swamps . Microphagous , especially phytophagous (epiphytes), and detritiphagous . Swim bladder entirely alveolar, functioning like a lung; this adaptation to aerial breathing allows the fish to survive under poor oxygenation conditions ; recorded from nearly deoxygenated lungfish nest in Pool Malebo, Congo DR . Gonads, which are largely fused, are situated ventrally, not dorsally, in abdominal cavity . Mouth can be projected as a small trunk . Eggs transparent, yellow-greenish, 1.5-1.7mm diameter; large females may have several thousands of eggs . Particular blood system, with dark coloured and an abundant amouth of blood .

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 6; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 6; Vertebrae: 34 - 38. Diagnosis: head depressed and strongly ossified; anterior nostril elongate, forming an oblique, forward-pointing tube; posterior nostril crescent-shaped, located just behind the narial tube . Mouth small, protrusible , placed at tip of a proboscis and opening upwards between the narial tubes , on upper surface of snout . Narrow gill opening, but opercles very well developed, covering also the underside of the head where they overlap . : elongated; Cross section: circular.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Hingemouth is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

🥚 Reproduction

Males and females have lateral tubercles on their body which probably aid in maintaining contact during spawning .

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Freshwater; benthopelagic; pH range: 6.0 - 8.0; dH range: ? - 25. Tropical; 25°C - 30°C West Africa from Lake Nokoué (Ouémé River, Benin) (Ref.

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🌐 Names & Taxonomy

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 100 records indexed .

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