Callorhinchus capensis, Cape elephantfish : fisheries, gamefish

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Callorhinchus capensis Duméril, 1865

Cape elephantfish
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Callorhinchus capensis   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Callorhinchus capensis (Cape elephantfish)
Callorhinchus capensis
Picture by Le Noury, P.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Holocephali (chimaeras) > Chimaeriformes (Chimaeras) > Callorhinchidae (Plownose chimaeras)
Etymology: Callorhinchus: Tautonymous with Chimaera callorynchus Linnaeus 1758 (but unnecessarily emended from -rynchus to -rhinchus: callum (L.), hard skin; rhynchus (L.), snout, referring to peculiar hoe-shaped proboscis. (See ETYFish);  capensis: -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Cape of Good Hope, type locality. (See ETYFish).
More on author: Duméril.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; demersal; depth range 10 - 374 m (Ref. 5578), usually 10 - 200 m (Ref. 3180). Subtropical; 17°S - 35°S, 11°E - 34°E

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Southeast Atlantic: Namibia to the Cape and Natal in South Africa (Ref. 5578, 58304).

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm 49.6  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 122 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3180); max. published weight: 5.3 kg (Ref. 40637)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 1. An elephant fish with a hoe-like snout and arched caudal fin (Ref. 5578). Silvery or bronzy with brown markings on flanks and head; fin webs brown (Ref. 5578).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found from close inshore and shallow bays to the slope (Ref. 5578). Feeds on small fish and a wide variety of invertebrates (Ref. 27121). Oviparous (Ref. 50449). Produces egg-cases that are spindle shaped, with broad horizontal flanges (Ref. 36731). This species is known to host on its gills monogenean parasites Callorhynchocotyle callorhynchi (Manter, 1955) (Hexabothriidae) and Callorhynchicola multitesticulatus Manter, 1955 (Chimaericolidae) on its gills (Ref. 124045, 124046). Sold commercially as 'silver trumpeter' (Ref. 3180) and considered a delicacy in southern Africa (Ref. 27121). Minimum depth reported from Ref. 7403.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Oviparous (Ref. 50449).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Krefft, G., 1990. Callorynchidae. p. 117. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Parisl. Vol. 1. (Ref. 7403)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 02 September 2019

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Traumatogenic (Ref. 12484)





Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish: yes
FAO - Fisheries: landings; Publication: search | FIRMS - Stock assessments | FishSource | Sea Around Us

More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
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Ecology
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Common names
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Predators
Ecotoxicology
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Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development
Age/Size
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Larvae
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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Fisheries: landings; Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 10.3 - 21, mean 16.2 °C (based on 200 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.7500   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00437 (0.00175 - 0.01086), b=3.12 (2.90 - 3.34), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.5   ±0.52 se; based on food items.
Generation time: 21.3 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 2 growth studies.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec assumed to be <100).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  High vulnerability (59 of 100).
Climate Vulnerability (Ref. 125649):  Moderate to high vulnerability (50 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Low.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 27.3 [7.3, 78.0] mg/100g; Iron = 0.819 [0.288, 3.576] mg/100g; Protein = 14.1 [11.0, 18.4] %; Omega3 = 0.255 [0.106, 0.572] g/100g; Selenium = 38.9 [8.7, 103.3] μg/100g; VitaminA = 6.42 [2.18, 18.02] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.549 [0.281, 1.037] mg/100g (wet weight);