Home · Cyprinidae · Tanganyika yellowfish
Tanganyika yellowfish (Labeobarbus caudovittatus) — Cyprinidae

Tanganyika yellowfish

Labeobarbus caudovittatus
Family: Cyprinidae
LC · Least Concern

The Tanganyika yellowfish (Labeobarbus caudovittatus) is a freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae that grows up to 80 cm.

Length
80 cm
Water
Freshwater
Diet
Omnivore
Behaviour
Schooling
Activity
Diurnal
Body shape
Elongated (eel-like)
Substrate
Stone or rock
Danger
Harmless
Edibility
Highly prized

Description

The Tanganyika yellowfish is a robust African large barb of the family Cyprinidae reaching about 80 cm. The sturdy, silvery-grey body has large scales, thick lips and two pairs of barbels around the inferior mouth. The species comes from the Congo and Tanganyika region of Central and East Africa and lives in schools in rivers and lakes with stony or sandy bottoms. As an omnivore it eats insects, molluscs, crustaceans, algae and plant matter. In the rainy season it migrates upstream to spawn on gravel bars. With its size and tasty flesh it is a valued commercial and hard-fighting sport fish in the region.

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Tanganyika yellowfish?

The Tanganyika yellowfish has an elongate, eel-like body, is mainly silver-grey and shows a plain pattern.

Where does the Tanganyika yellowfish live?

The Tanganyika yellowfish lives in fresh water and is mostly found around stony or rocky ground.

How big does the Tanganyika yellowfish get?

The Tanganyika yellowfish grows to a maximum of about 80 cm.

Is the Tanganyika yellowfish dangerous to humans?

No, the Tanganyika yellowfish is harmless to humans.

Is the Tanganyika yellowfish edible?

Yes, the Tanganyika yellowfish is a highly prized food fish.

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All data

Identification

Dutch name
Bandstaart-grootbarbeel inferred
English name
Tanganyika yellowfish verified
Scientific name
Labeobarbus caudovittatus
Family
Cyprinidae

Appearance

Size class
Large verified
Max length (cm)
80.0 verified
Body shape
Elongated (eel-like) sourced
Dominant colour
Silver / grey sourced
Pattern
Plain sourced
Tail shape
Forked inferred
Mouth position
Inferior (downward) inferred
Lips
Thick / fleshy inferred
Barbels
Yes verified
Dorsal fins
One continuous sourced
Dorsal spines
No verified

Habitat & distribution

Water type
Freshwater verified
Substrate
Stone or rock verified
Origin
Native verified

Behaviour & biology

Diet
Omnivore verified
Social behaviour
Schooling verified
Territorial
No verified
Activity
Diurnal inferred
Reproduction
Separate sexes verified
Sexual dimorphism
No verified

For anglers

Edibility
Highly prized verified
Fishing method
Hengelen met worm, deeg of insect in rivieren en meren; een gewaardeerde, hard vechtende sport- en voedselvis sourced
Regulations source
FishBase ↗ inferred

Safety

Danger to humans
Harmless verified

Status & sources

Sources
FishBase via GBIF (DwC-A), CC-BY-NC 4.0

Same genus Labeobarbus

More from the family Cyprinidae

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