African butter catfish
Schilbe mystus
No photo yet
The African butter catfish is widespread in tropical Africa, from Senegal and the Nile to Lake Victoria. It schools in open, still or slow, vegetated waters of lakes and rivers. It eats everything from fish and insects to seeds and fruit. It spawns in the rainy season, leaving the eggs on vegetation without care. It is an important food fish.
- Scientific name
- Schilbe mystus
- Family
- Schilbeidae
Fact sheet
General
- Water
- Freshwater
- Group
- Fish
Taxonomy
- Family
- Schilbeidae
- Order
- Siluriformes
- Synonyms
- Bagrus adansonii, Bagrus schilbeides, Bagrus schilbeoides, Bagrus schilboides, Eutropius adansonii, Eutropius altipinnis, Eutropius congensis, Eutropius grenfelli, Eutropius liberiensis, Eutropius mentalis, Eutropius nilotica, Eutropius niloticus, Eutropius niloticus niloticus, Eutropius obtusirostris, Eutropius sp.
Origin
- Native region
- África
Water
- Temperature
- 23–27 °C
Size and lifespan
- Adult size
- 35 cm
- Lifespan
- 9.7 years
Behavior
- Swimming level
- Bottom
- Diet
- Carnivore
Reproduction
- Breeding strategy
- Egg scatterer
Conservation and trade
- IUCN status
- Least concern (LC)
Spotted wrong data on this page? Let us know