Tigerfish can refer to fish from various

families Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...

, and derives from official and colloquial associations of these with the

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on ...

(''Panthera tigris''). However, the primary species designated by the name "tigerfish" are African and belong to the family

Alestidae African tetras (family Alestidae, formerly spelled Alestiidae) are a group of characiform fish exclusively found in Africa. This family contains about 18 genera and 119 species. Among the best known members are the Congo tetra, and African tige ...

African tigerfish

Several species belonging to the genus '' Hydrocynus'' of the family

are referred to as "tigerfish", and are particularly prized as

game fish 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 commercial ...

. These

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...

are found in many rivers and lakes on the continent and are fierce predators with distinctive, proportionally large teeth. The goliath tigerfish ('' Hydrocynus goliath'') is among the most famous tigerfish. The largest one on record is said to have weighed . It is found in the

Congo River The Congo River ( kg, Nzâdi Kôngo, french: Fleuve Congo, pt, Rio Congo), formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the second largest river in the world by discharge ...

system and Lake Tanganyika and is the largest member of the family Alestidae. Another famous species, simply called the tigerfish ('' Hydrocynus vittatus''), is commonly found in the southernly

Okavango Delta The Okavango Delta (or Okavango Grassland; formerly spelled "Okovango" or "Okovanggo") in Botswana is a swampy inland delta formed where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough at an altitude of 930–1,000 m in the central part of the en ...

, and the

Zambezi River The Zambezi River (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than hal ...

, and also in the two biggest lakes along the Zambezi,

Lake Kariba Lake Kariba is the world's largest artificial lake and reservoir by volume. It lies upstream from the Indian Ocean, along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Lake Kariba was filled between 1958 and 1963 following the completion of the Karib ...

which borders Zimbabwe and Zambia, Kabombo River in Zambia and Cabora Bassa in Mozambique, and finally in the Jozini dam in South Africa. Both the goliath tigerfish and its smaller relative the tigerfish are found in Africa.

Behavior

In the western gamefishing world, '' Hydrocynus vittatus'' is considered Africa's equivalent of the South American piranha, though it belongs to a completely different zoological family. Like the piranha, individual tigerfish have interlocking, razor-sharp teeth, along with streamlined, muscular bodies, and are extremely aggressive and capable predators who often hunt in groups. The African tigerfish is the first freshwater fish recorded and confirmed to attack and catch birds in flight.Fish leaps to catch birds on the wing (video)
Nature.com (January 9, 2014).

Cichlids Cichlids are fish from the family Cichlidae in the order Cichliformes. Cichlids were traditionally classed in a suborder, the Labroidei, along with the wrasses ( Labridae), in the order Perciformes, but molecular studies have contradicted th ...

The name "tigerfish" has occasionally been used for a species of cichlid in the genus '' Rhamphochromis''. The species is large, silver-coloured, and individuals typically have one or more black lines running the length of either flank. These fish are native to

Lake Malawi Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is the fifth largest fr ...

in Africa. Like the other African tigerfish species, they are famed for possessing large, prominent teeth, and they are known to attack humans.

Datnioididae

Several species of '' Coius'' (or '' Datnioides'', depending on the

taxonomic authority In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are given ...

) have been referred to as "tigerfish", particularly in

fishkeeping Fishkeeping is a popular hobby, practiced by aquarists, concerned with keeping fish in a home aquarium or garden pond. There is also a piscicultural fishkeeping industry, serving as a branch of agriculture. Origins of fishkeeping Fish hav ...

books and magazines. They are large, wide-bodied fish whose flanks are covered by vivid black stripes.

Erythrinidae

The large South American characins of the family Erythrinidae have also sometimes been called "tigerfish".

References

Tiger fish
– ''Guide to the Tiger fish (Hydrocynus forskalii)'' * {{cite book , last1=Phillipson , first1=David W. , year=1975 , title=Mosi-oa-Tunya: A Handbook to the Victoria Falls Region , publisher=Longman , isbn=0-582-64170-5 , oclc=2639131

External links

Discovery Channel's River MonstersFishbase list of species commonly called "tigerfish"Fishbase list of species commonly called "tiger fish"
Fish common names th:ปลาเสือ