South Africa country information

Common names: Cape fathead, Kaapse vetkop
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Type locality: north of Cape Town (Ref. 7442). Also Ref. 28222.
National Checklist:
Country Information: httpss://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/sf.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Haedrich, R.L., 1986
National Database:

Classification / Names

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Perciformes (Perch-likes) > Nomeidae (Driftfishes)
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Common names from other countries

Cape cigarfish, Cape cubiceps, Kaapse vetkop, ... more

Main reference

Haedrich, R.L. 1990. (Ref. 6891)
References | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 101 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5951)

Environment

Marine; pelagic-oceanic; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 140 m (Ref. 54802)

Climate / Range

Subtropical, preferred ?; 40°N - 35°S

Distribution

Probably circumglobal in tropical and temperate seas. Reported from the Mediterranean (Ref. 11228).
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 12; Dorsal soft rays (total): 20-23; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 20 - 21; Vertebrae: 31. Dark brown to deep purple, fins dark (Ref. 4412). Preorbital snout naked or with a few predorsal scales distinctly smaller than those between eyes (Ref 9834).

Oceanic, epipelagic or mesopelagic in tropical waters. Feeds mainly on salps (Ref. 33689). Occurs near the surface at night but depth at daytime is not known. Excellent food fish.

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Least Concern (LC)

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial

More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
Stocks
Ecology
Diet
Food items
Food consumption
Ration

Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development

Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Recruitment
Abundance

References
Aquaculture
Aquaculture profile
Strains
Genetics
Allele frequencies
Heritability
Diseases
Processing
Mass conversion

Collaborators
Pictures
Stamps, Coins
Sounds
Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
Brains
Vision

Tools

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

Download XML

Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)
PD₅₀ = 0.5010 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278)
3.5 ±0.0 se; Based on diet studies.

Resilience (Ref. 69278)
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)
Moderate to high vulnerability (48 of 100)

Price category (Ref. 80766)
Unknown

Cubiceps capensis (Smith, 1845)