Lesser African threadfin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lesser African threadfin |
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The lesser African threadfin (Galeoides decadactylus) is a type of ray-finned fish that lives in the ocean. It belongs to a group of fish called threadfins, known for their long, thread-like fins. You can find this fish in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, along the western coast of Africa.
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What Does the Lesser African Threadfin Look Like?
The lesser African threadfin has a body that is a bit flat from side to side and fairly long. Its body is about one-third as deep as its total length. Its mouth is located underneath its blunt snout, and its jaws extend past its eyes.
This fish has two dorsal fins (fins on its back) that are far apart. The first dorsal fin has 8 soft spines. The second dorsal fin has one spine and 13 or 14 soft rays. The fin on its belly, called the anal fin, has 3 spines and 11 or 12 soft rays. The second dorsal fin and the anal fin are about the same length at their base.
The fins on its sides, called pectoral fins, are placed low on its body. These fins have 9 or 10 separate, thread-like rays at the bottom. The fish has 45 to 46 scales along its lateral line (a special line of scales that helps fish sense movement in the water).
The lesser African threadfin is a dull silver color. It has a brownish or green tint on its back, which fades to white on its belly. There is a large, dark, round spot right below its first dorsal fin. This spot is about the size of its eye. This fish can grow up to 50 centimetres (20 in) long, but it is more common to see them around 30 centimetres (12 in) in length.
Where Does the Lesser African Threadfin Live?
The lesser African threadfin lives in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. You can find it from Morocco in the north all the way down to Angola in the south. It also lives around the Canary Islands and Cape Verde Islands. Sometimes, it has been seen off the coast of Namibia and even in the Mediterranean Sea near Algeria.
Its Home and How It Lives
The lesser African threadfin likes to live over muddy areas in shallow coastal waters. It usually stays at depths between 10 and 70 metres (33 and 230 ft) (about 33 to 230 feet). You can often spot them in estuaries (where rivers meet the sea) and lagoons (shallow bodies of water separated from the ocean).
What Does It Eat?
This fish mainly eats small crustaceans, like shrimp and crabs. But it will also eat small fish. Scientists have studied what's inside their stomachs. Fish caught in the open sea mostly had crustaceans. However, fish caught in estuaries had a lot of detritus (dead plant and animal bits) in their stomachs, making up about 31% of their diet.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
In one study near Lagos in Nigeria, scientists learned something interesting about how these fish grow. Some female fish developed directly from young fish. But most of the females had first been males, then went through a stage where they had both male and female parts (this is called being hermaphroditic), before becoming fully female.
Laying eggs, which is called spawning, happens all year round for the lesser African threadfin. However, they lay the most eggs during the dry season. They almost stop laying eggs during the rainy season. Most of these fish do not live past four years old.
Why Is This Fish Important to People?
The lesser African threadfin is a very important fish for commercial fishing in the eastern Atlantic. It makes up a big part of the total fish caught by weight, usually between 10% and 20%.
From 2000 to 2006, the average yearly catch of this fish from western Africa was about 15,600 tonnes (that's a lot of fish!). The biggest catches were made in Nigeria, Ghana, and Gabon. In Senegal, this fish is seen as a very important resource for people living near the coast.
Fishermen use different types of nets to catch this species. They use beach seines (nets pulled onto the beach), gillnets (nets that catch fish by their gills), and shallow haul nets. The lesser African threadfin is highly valued. It is sold fresh, dried and salted, or smoked for people to eat.
