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Psephurus - Species in
Polyodontidae - - Classification -
- Polyodontidae
- Acipenseriformes
- Chondrostei
- Chordata
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Psephurus gladius
Juvenile picture by CAFS
Pictures | Stamps, coins, misc. | Google image
Juvenile picture by CAFS
Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Chondrostei (sturgeons) > Acipenseriformes (Sturgeons and paddlefishes) > Polyodontidae (Paddlefishes)
Etymology: Psephurus: Greek, psephas, -aos = dark + Greek, oura = tail (Ref. 45335).
Etymology: Psephurus: Greek, psephas, -aos = dark + Greek, oura = tail (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology
Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal; anadromous (Ref. 117880). Subtropical
Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri
Asia: China, endemic to the Yangtze River and its tributaries.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 300 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 28581); max. published weight: 300.0 kg (Ref. 28581)
Max length : 300 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 28581); max. published weight: 300.0 kg (Ref. 28581)
Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Head very long, snout extraordinarily long, pointed and paddle-like and base broad; mouth very large.
This species is considered anadromous for it spends at least part of its life in the sea and migrates upriver to reproduce. It occurs in broad surfaced main streams of large rivers, usually staying in the middle and lower layers of the water column and occasionally swims into large lakes. Spawning period is in March and April with spawning sites located in the upper reaches of the Changjiang River but was also reported to take place in the lower Jinsha River between Shuifu and Yibin (Ref. 117880). It grows to 3 m in length and 300 kg in weight (Ref. 28581). Reported length of 7 m SL (Ref. 6866) and 500 kg weight (Ref. 4537, 58490) are doubtful (Paxton, pers. comm.). Piscivorous throughout most of its life. Threatened due to over harvesting and habitat loss (Ref. 58490). Expected number of mature individuals in the wild, less than 50, but more extensive surveys are needed across its range to confirm its existence; last seen in 2003 (Ref. 117880).
Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Main reference
Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators
Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea and W.B. Scott, 1991. World fishes important to North Americans. Exclusive of species from the continental waters of the United States and Canada. Am. Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ. (21):243 p. (Ref. 4537)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial
FAO - Fisheries: species profile; Publication: search | FishSource |
More information
Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Anatomy
Gill area
Brain
Otolith
Gill area
Brain
Otolith
Physiology
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Genetics
Genetics
Heterozygosity
Heritability
Genetics
Heterozygosity
Heritability
Tools
E-book | Field guide | Length-frequency wizard | Life-history tool | Point map | Classification Tree
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Special reports
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Internet sources
AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Fisheries: species profile; Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD50 = 1.2500 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00501 (0.00192 - 0.01311), b=3.10 (2.88 - 3.32), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 4.2 ±0.73 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (tm=5-15).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Very high vulnerability (90 of 100).