Hepsetus odoe

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Hepsetus odoe
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Characiformes
Superfamily: Erythrinoidea
Family: Hepsetidae
Genus: Hepsetus
Species: H. odoe
Binomial name
Hepsetus odoe
(Bloch, 1794)

Hepsetus odoe, the African pike or Kafue pike, is a predatory fish belonging to the family Hepsetidae. It is an elongated fish with a pike-like body. This species can reach up to about 65 cm (26 in) long. The Kafue pike inhabits tropical, freshwater lakes, coastal rivers, and swamps in Africa. It is widespread throughout central and west Africa, but is absent from the Nile River.[1]

The species prefers quiet and deep water, and may only live about five years. They spawn in the summer, and are oviparous, and lay their eggs in a nest of floating foam, which they then guard. Fry and juveniles inhabit well-vegetated marginal habitats. The Kafue pike is a gamefish. It also, on occasion, is found as an aquarium fish, though its large size and piscivorous nature make it unsuitable for most aquarists.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2011). "Hepsetus odoe" in FishBase. October 2011 version.
  2. ↑ Nelson, Joseph S. (2006). Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0-471-25031-7
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