Teleostei (teleosts) >
Siluriformes (Catfishes) >
Amphiliidae (Loach catfishes) > Leptoglaninae
Etymology: Zaireichthys: Composed form Zaire river + Greek,ichtys = fish; the habitat of this fish (Ref. 45335); conspicuus: The specific name 'conspicuus' refers to the conspicuous bold markings of this species (Ref. 86935).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical
Africa: upper Zambezi River from the rapid sections at Katima Mulilo down to just above the Victoria Falls (Ref. 86935).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 3.5 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 86935)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 2; Dorsal soft rays (total): 6; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 9 - 11; Vertebrae: 34 - 35. Diagnosis: This species differs from Zaireichthys kafuensis, Z. kavangoensis, Z. monomotapa and Z. pallidus in having a premaxillary tooth patch with the buccal margin expanded laterally and from all other species in its more robust form and bold markings (Ref. 86935).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated.
Found in the rapid sections of rivers; seems to inhabit rocky rapids rather than sandy bottoms (Ref. 86935, 94654). It feeds on insects (Ref. 86935).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Eccles, D.H., D. Tweddle and P.H. Skelton, 2011. Eight new species in the dwarf catfish genus Zaireichthys (Siluriformes: Amphiliidae). Smithiana Bull. (13):3-28. (Ref. 86935)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00389 (0.00180 - 0.00842), b=3.12 (2.94 - 3.30), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.0 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
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