Boesemania

Boesemania microlepis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Sciaenidae
Genus: Boesemania
Trewavas, 1977
Species: B. microlepis
Binomial name
Boesemania microlepis
(Bleeker, 1858) [2]
Synonyms
  • Johnius microlepis Bleeker, 1858
  • Otolithoides aeneocorpus Fowler, 1935
  • Pseudosciaena microlepis (Bleeker, 1858)

Boesemania is a genus of freshwater fish in the family Sciaenidae. This genus contains the single species Boesemania microlepis.[2] Also known as the boeseman croaker and smallscale croaker, this fish lives in southeast Asian rivers.[1]

Description

This is a relatively large species. It can reach 1 m (3.3 ft) in length and 18 kg (40 lb) in weight.[3]

Distribution

Boesemania microlepis lives in Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia (Borneo and Sumatra), Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand.[1] It is found in several rivers such as the Mekong, Chao Phraya River, Mae Klong, Nan River, Tha Chin River, and Bang Pakong River.[1]

Habitat and behaviour

This species appears to be sedentary. It prefers large, flowing rivers.[1][3] During the peak of the dry season, it spawns in deepwater pools. During this time, common to other croakers, it can be heard to make loud, continuous, croaking sounds.[3]

Diet

Boesemania microlepis eats mostly small fishes and crustaceans such as shrimps.[1][3]

Threats

Desired as food, and expensive in southern Laos and northeast Cambodia, this species has become increasingly threatened due to overfishing.[4] Despite this, it remains common in much of its range.[1]

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, November 13, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.