Atractosteus tristoechus
Cuban Gar
Collection Details
Specimens
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Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Lepisosteiformes (Gars)
Lepisosteidae (Gars)
Atractosteus
Atractosteus tristoechus (Cuban Gar)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (Carpenter, K.E. (ed.) 2002. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. FAO, Rome.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
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Synonymy
Lepisosteus tristoechus Bloch and Schneider, 1801 / None.
Characters
A fairly large round-bodied fish. Snout elongate, but broad and relatively short
(less than 60% of dorsal head length) with nostrils at tip and 2 rows of enlarged fangs on ei ther side (1
outer row on infraorbitals, 1 inner row on palatines). Roofing bones of skull large, lacking enameloid tubercles;
67 to 81 ornate gill rakers in the outer row of first gill arch. No spines on fins; dorsal and anal fins
short-based and set far back on body, caudal fin rounded, slightly asymmetrical; pelvic and pectoral fins
placed very low on body, pectoral fins abdominal in position; fucral scales on all medial fins. Body tot ally en-
cased in an armour of large, heavy, rhomboid, not imbricating ganoid scales; cheeks c overed with numerous
plates; predorsal scales (those in midline in front of dorsal fin) 49 to 51; scales in lateral line 56 to 62. Col-
our: back dark, belly light: detailed colour pattern not described.
Body shape: elongated.
Distribution
Nor thern coastline of the Gulf of
Mexico from western Florida (Apalachicola
River drainage) to central Texas (San Antonio
Bay drainage), inl and in fresh waters north to
Lake Erie.
Habitat Associations
Found mainly
in fresh waters. Adults prey on fishes and even
birds. Behaviour probably similar to Atractosteus
spatula. Some attempts to cultivate this species
were made some years ago. It showed a moder-
ate growth rate (to about 30 cm at the end of the
first year). The young were preyed upon by
Micropterus salmoides (introduced to Cuba). Separate statistics are not reported for this spe-
cies. Caught mainly with gill nets and on
hook-and-line. Distribtion: So far, only reported from the north-
western part of Cuba and the Isle of Youth. Lepisosteus oculatus Winchell, 1864
Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: None / None. FAO names: En - Spotted gar; Fr - Garpique tacheté; Sp - Gaspar pintado. Diagnostic characters: A fairly large round-bodied fish. Snout moderately elongate (57 to 65% of dorsal
head length) and moderately narrow with nostrils at tip. Adults with a single row of enlarged fangs on ei-
ther side (on infraorbitals, 2 rows may be present on young). Isthmus (fleshy projection of body sepa-
rating the gill openings) with sm all bony ossicles; 15 to 24 sm all pear-shaped gill rakers in the outer
row of first gill arch. No spines in fins; dorsal and anal fins short-based and set far back on body, pelvic and
pectoral fins placed very low on body, pectoral fins abdominal in position; caudal fin rounded, slightly asym-
metrical; fucral scales on all medial fins. Body tot ally encased in an armour of large, heavy, rhomboid, not
imbricating ganoid scales; cheeks c overed with numerous plates. Colour: top of head with large, oblong
pigment blotches, body ei ther uni formly dark or blotched above grading into light tan or dark brown below;
usu ally with two brown stripes on ei ther side, one running as a solid stripe or series of blotches from eye to cau-
dal fin, the o ther on lower body from pectoral fin to caudal fin (this stripe occasion ally obliterated by uni form
dark pigment on belly). Size: Maximum: probably over 90 cm; common to 70 cm. Often found in the lower reaches of rivers and
estuaries, but less tolerant of salt water conditions than Atractosteus spatula or Lepisosteus osseus. Largely
allopatric from the closely related Lepisosteus platyrhincus which inhab its the Florida Peninsula west from the
Apalachicola River and north along the eastern
coastline to sou thern Georgia. A voracious
predator feeding primarily on fishes and crusta-
ceans. Separate statistics are not reported for
this species. Caught mainly with gill nets and on
hook-and-line.
Biology
Maximum: probably over 200 cm; common to 100 cm.
Found in rivers and lakes. Adults feed on other freshwater fishes and even birds. Young are preyed on by introduced Micropterus salmoides. The flesh is edible; but the eggs are poisonous to eat.
IUCN Red List Status: Critically Endangered (CR), assessed 2020-04-17. Resilience: Very low (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
The flesh is edible, but not of best
quality; the eggs are poisonous. Habitat, biology, and fisheries: Found mainly in fresh waters. Marketed fresh for local con-
sumption, but not valued as a food fish.
References
Lee, D.S., S.P. Platania and G.H. Burgess (1983) Atlas of North American freshwater fishes, 1983 supplement. Occasional Papers of the North Carolina Biological Survey no. 1983-6. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, N.C. 67 p.
Ferraris, C.J. Jr. (2003) Lepisosteidae (Gars). p. 29. In R.E. Reis, S.O. Kullander and C.J. Ferraris, Jr. (eds.) Checklist of the Freshwater Fishes of South and Central America. Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS, Brasil.
Comments On Atractosteus tristoechus