TerralogNEWS101
27
he European Pike (
Esox lucius
) can be
maintained without problem in the
aquarium,but has thedisadvantage that it
will grow independent of aquarium size -
and at a rapid rate. The Pike Characin
(
Hepsetus odoe
), which is widespread in
Africa, offers an alternative for fans of
predatory fishes.
Anancient fish
ThePikeCharacin is theonly representative
of the family Hepsetidae. It exhibits
numerous special features that distinguish
it from other characins. These include a
simple form of auxiliary respiration using
the swimbladder as a lung, which allows
these fishes to survive in oxygen-poor
swamps. Assorted anatomical peculiarities
demonstrate that nowadays the closest
relatives of the Pike Characin live in South
America, specifically the species of the
family Ctenoluciidae, which are likewise
sometimes maintained and bred in the
aquarium.Thismeans that theancestorsof
the twogroups livedat a timewhenAfrica
and South America still formed parts of a
single landmass.
Various features of the cranial structure
T
Predatory fishes hold a particular fascination for the observer. In
particular, thepike-shape,which iswidespread in the realmof the fishes
and transcends family boundaries, gives an impression of unbounded
power combinedwithunmatchedelegance.
Hepsetusodoe–apikefortheaquarium
byFrankSchäfer
Fisch
Anapproximately10 cm long specimenofHepsetusodoe, theAfricanPikeCharacin.
high degree of ecological tolerance, but
nevertheless inhabits mainly swamps and
areas of still water. It is absent from the
desert regions of the north and the entire
Sexuallymaturepair ofHepsetusodoe,male in front.
clearly demonstrate that
Hepsetus
is the
most ancient of all the characins that still
exist today.
Distribution
Hepsetus odoe
is found in practically all
tropical and subtropical bodies of water in
western Africa, from Senegal to the
OkavangoDelta.Thespecies thusexhibitsa
Nilebasin, and theAfricanRift Valley is the
boundaryof itsdistribution to theeast.
Theperfectpredator
Its dentition and its body form identify the
Pike Characin as a predatory fish. The
dentition consists of sharp,pointed, canine
teeth (the technical term is caniniform
teeth), the comparatively large caudal fin
