Xenentodon cancila
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Beloniformes
Belonidae (Needlefishes)
Xenentodon
Xenentodon cancila
Description
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Characters
Body shape: elongated. Body very elongate and slightly compressed. Dorsal fin inserted usually anterior to a vertical through the origin of the anal fin. Green-silvery dorsally, grading to whitish below. A silvery band with a dark margin run along the side; a series of four or five blotches (absent in young specimens) on sides between the pectoral and anal fins. Dorsal and anal fins with dark edges.
Distribution
Asia: Sri Lanka and India eastward to the Mekong.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater, brackish. pelagic-neritic. depth range 0-2 m. Found in: streams.
Biology
Adults occur primarily in rivers (Ref. 4833); also in ponds, canals, beels, and inundated fields (Ref. 1479). Often found in slow-flowing pools in rivers with a rock or sand substrate (Ref. 6028). They inhabit large and medium-sized rivers with adults occurring in areas that lack floating vegetation (Ref. 12693). A solitary species that swims in midwater, usually against the current, and is capable of bursts of speed, especially when in pursuit of its prey. Observed to feed exclusively on crustaceans in the wild; but take live fish only when in an aquarium (Ref. 6028). Also feeds on small fishes and insects (Ref. 12693). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Eggs may be found attached to objects in the water by tendrils on the egg's surface (Ref. 205). This fish is capable of nipping the fingers or killing a person by leaping at them at great speed (Ref. 6028; Kullander (pers. comm., 2001), however, suggests that the "killing a person" statement may be exaggerated). Marketed fresh (Ref. 12693).
Max length: 40.0 cm TL; common length: 30.0 cm TL.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. Male pursues a slow-moving female and upon catching up with the female, will begin shuddering from side to side while the pair is oriented parallel to each other; the pair positions themselves close to submerged vegetation; male assumes a slight head-down position , with his anal fin curled under the female's vent; the pair begins trembling until a single large egg is released; each female produces about a dozen eggs per day; eggs hatch in about a week; no parental care (Ref. 44091).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2019-08-12. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: potential.
References
Talwar, P.K. and A.G. Jhingran (1991) Inland fishes of India and adjacent countries. Volume 2. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, i-xxii + 543-1158, 1 pl.
Roberts, T.R. (1993) Artisanal fisheries and fish ecology below the great waterfalls of the Mekong River in southern Laos. Nat. Hist. Bull. Siam Soc. 41:31-62.
Rainboth, W.J. (1996) Fishes of the Cambodian Mekong. FAO species identification field guide for fishery purposes. FAO, Rome, 265 p.
Yamamoto, M.N. and A.W. Tagawa (2000) Hawai'i's native and exotic freshwater animals. Mutual Publishing, Honolulu, Hawaii. 200 p.
Mundy, B.C. (2005) Checklist of the fishes of the Hawaiian Archipelago. Bishop Mus. Bull. Zool. (6):1-704.
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