Silversides

Alestes baremoze

Silver scales across northern African waters

Silver
Tropical
Coastal
Regional distribution
Freshwater fish
Africa
Fusiform
Medium
Tropical fish

Alestes baremoze, the pebbly fish or silversides, is a species of characin fish from the freshwater systems of northern and western Africa. It has some importance as a commercially exploited food fish.

Class: Teleosts
Order: Characins
Family: Alestidae
Genus: Alestes
Maximum length: 43 cm
Water: Freshwater
Body shape: fusiform
Distribution: Africa: Senegal, Gambia, the coastal basins of the Côte d'Ivoire (Comoé, Bandama and Sassandra), Volta, Niger/Benué and Chad basin (Ref. 2880 , 81279 ). Also present in Nile, Omo, Lake Albert and Lake Turkana (Ref. 2880 , 28714 ). Three populations - previously as subspecies - may be distinguished by slight morphological differences but they have the same ecological charasterics: in Nile River, Lake Albert, Omo River and Lake Turkana ('baremoze'); in Senegal River, Gambia River, Tominé River, Volta basin, Niger basin and Chad basin ('soudaniensis'); in coastal basins of Côte d'Ivoire, namely Sassandra River, Bandama River and Comoé River ('eburneensis') (Ref. 42019 ).
Conservation status: LCLeast Concern

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