''Hydrocynus goliath'', also known as the goliath tigerfish, giant tigerfish, or mbenga, is a very large African predatory freshwater fish of the family
Alestidae.
Distribution
''Hydrocynus goliath'' is found in the
Congo River Basin (including
Lualaba River and
Lake Upemba
Lake Upemba is a lake in Bukama, Haut-Lomami District, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It, and nearby Lake Kisale, is surrounded by the Upemba Depression in Upemba National Park. The nearest town is Nyonga, and the nearest hospital is locate ...
), and
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika () is an African Great Lake. It is the second-oldest freshwater lake in the world, the second-largest by volume, and the second-deepest, in all cases after Lake Baikal in Siberia. It is the world's longest freshwater lake. ...
.
A study published in 2011 revealed several
mtDNA clade
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...
s in this region, suggesting a higher tigerfish
species richness than traditionally recognized. If confirmed, this would restrict ''H. goliath'' to the Congo River Basin.
[Goodier, S.A.M., F.P.D. Cotterill, C. O'Ryan, P.H. Skelton, and M.J de Wit (2011). ]
Cryptic Diversity of African Tigerfish (Genus Hydrocynus) Reveals Palaeogeographic Signatures of Linked Neogene Geotectonic Events
'' PLoS ONE 6(12): e28775. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0028775 Four additional species (''
H. vittatus'' and three unknown species) appear to be present in this Basin, while two (''H. vittatus'' and an unknown species) appear to be present in Lake Tanganyika.
[
]
Description
This large-toothed, highly predatory fish grows to an average length of and a weight of .Jeremy Wade
Jeremy John Wade (born 23 March 1956) is an English television presenter, an author of books on angling, a freshwater detective, and a biologist. He is known for his television series ''River Monsters'', ''Mighty Rivers'', and ''Dark Waters''. He ...
.
Diet
''Hydrocynus goliath'' is a piscivore
A piscivore () is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. The name ''piscivore'' is derived . Piscivore is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophage, both of which mean "fish eater". Fish were the diet of early tetrapod evoluti ...
, feeding on any fish it can overpower, including smaller members of the same species.
When hunting, this fish uses the calmer eddies of the rapids to ambush its prey, using its keen sight to detect prey. When a target is noticed, the fish accelerates to chase it down. The Nile crocodile
The Nile crocodile (''Crocodylus niloticus'') is a large crocodilian native to freshwater habitats in Africa, where it is present in 26 countries. It is widely distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa, occurring mostly in the central, eastern ...
is the only known predator of mature goliath tigerfish.
Interaction with humans
A number of incidents have been reported in The Congo of this fish attacking humans.gamefish
Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish pursued by recreational anglers, and can be freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, or released after capture. Some game fish are also targeted commerciall ...
in the world".[
]
References
External links
Goliath Tigerfish , The Proceedings of the Ever so Strange
* https://web.archive.org/web/20101206040928/http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/explorer/3826/Overview
*
*
Mystical goliath tiger fish caught on camera
. 21 October 2010.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1460026
Alestidae
Freshwater fish of Central Africa
Congo drainage basin
Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger
Fish described in 1898
Sport fish