Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Percopsiformes
(Trout-perches, pirate perches and cavef) > Aphredoderidae
Etymology: Aphredoderus: Greek, aphod = excrement + Greek, dere = throat, in reference to the unusual postion of the anus (Ref. 45335); sayanus: Named after the naturalist Thomas Say (Ref. 10294).
Environment / Climate / Range
Freshwater; demersal. Temperate; 5°C - 26°C (Ref. 12468); 46°N - 28°N
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 14.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5723); common length : 10.4 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 12193); max. reported age: 4 years (Ref. 12193)
North America: Eastern and central United States. Previously, two subspecies were recognized by Boltz & Stauffer 1993 (Ref. 34807): Aphredoderus sayanus sayanus in Atlantic Coast drainages from New York to Georgia; and A. sayanus gibbosus in the Mississippi River, Great Lakes, and western Gulf Coast drainages, with intergrades in Gulf Coast and Atlantic Coast drainages between Mississippi and Georgia.
Adults usually occur over mud in swamps, vegetated sloughs, ponds, lakes, backwaters, and quiet pools of creeks and small to large rivers (Ref 5723, 10294). Nocturnal feeders. Feed on aquatic insects, small crustaceans, and occasional small fish including their own young (Ref. 10294). Eggs in nests are guarded by both parents (Ref. 205).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Eggs in nests are guarded by both parents (Ref. 205).
Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr, 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 432 p. (Ref. 5723)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 96402)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Threat to humans
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805
= 1.5020 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00447 (0.00172 - 0.01163), b=3.11 (2.88 - 3.34), based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)Family-body shape (Ref. 93245
Trophic Level (Ref. 69278
): 3.1 ±0.39 se; Based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 69278
): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tmax=4; K=0.6).
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153
): Low vulnerability (21 of 100) .