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Siluriformes (Catfishes) >
Auchenoglanididae (Flatnose catfishes)
Etymology: Parauchenoglanis: Greek, para = near + Greek, auchen = neck + Greek, glanis = a fish that can eat the bait without touching the hook; a cat fish (Ref. 45335); megalasma: Name from Greek ‘megalasma’ derived from ‘mega’ meaning large and ‘melasma’ meaning black spot, referring to the distinct large blotches along the lateral line present in this species.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical
Africa: Angola.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 7.3 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 132425)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal soft rays (total): 7; Anal soft rays: 9; Vertebrae: 32 - 33. This species is distinguished from its congeners ahli, altipinnis, balayi, buettikoferi, longiceps, monkei, pantherinus, punctatus by the presence of vertical rows of blotches (vs. vertical rows of spots or bands in monkei, zebratus) and further differs from these species by a partly round snout (vs. bluntly triangular); differs from stiassnyae with truncated caudal fin (vs. rounded), dorsolaterally positioned eyes (vs. dorsally), and spotted fins (vs. unspotted pectoral, pelvic, and anal fins); it differs from all other species except ernstswartzi by its body having vertical rows of blotches with smaller blotches between them (vs. body with vertical rows of spots or bars and spots between them in ngamensis, lueleensis or absent background spots in patersoni, dolichorhinus, luendaensis, chiumbeensis); differs further differentiated from ernstswartzi by the vertical rows of blotches not extending onto adipose fin (vs. rows extending onto adipose fin), eyes situated dorsolaterally (vs. eyes situated dorsally), and deeper body depth, 18.2%-19.9% SL (vs. shallow body depth, 15.0%-17.4% SL); differs luendaensis by the spotted head and fins (vs. unspotted); differs further from luendaensis, chiumbeensis by the relatively long predorsal length, 40.7%-41.9% SL (vs. shorter, 37.9%-40.1% SL in luendaensisand 35.6%-40.8% SL in chiumbeensis); differs further chiumbeensis by its longer adipose fin, 35.6%-36.9% SL (vs. shorter, 26.0%-34.9% SL) (Ref. 132425).
Cross section: oval.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Sithole, Y., E.J.W.M.N. Vreven, P.H.N. Bragança, T. Musschoot and A. Chakona, 2024. Nine in one: integrative taxonomic evidence of hidden species diversity in the widespread Zambezi grunter, Parauchenoglanis ngamensis (Siluriformes: Auchenoglanididae), from southern and south-central Africa. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 202:1-33. (Ref. 132425)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial
Tools
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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].
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.4 ±0.5 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
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).
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