Cuban gar

Cuban gar and water turtle in Cuba

The Cuban gar ( Atractosteus tristoechus, Spanish: Manjuari ) is a species of the family of gars ( Lepisosteidae ), which is endemic in western Cuba and on the nearby Isla de la Juventud. Some authors the species is considered to be conspecific with the alligator pike ( Atractosteus spatula ). It is edible, and is fished with nets and fishing, their spawning is, however, toxic.

Features

Cuban gars reach a body length of an average of about one and a maximum of about two meters. The body is approximately cylindrical, and on the back side than on the darker side of the abdomen. The dorsal and anal fins sit far back on the body. The pectoral and ventral fins are sitting very deep, the tail fin is slightly rounded asymmetrical. All fins have only soft rays. The entire body is covered with diamond-shaped, non-overlapping Ganoidschuppen. Before the dorsal fin are 49 to 51 scales along the sides 56 to 62 rows. The snout is elongated and bears the nostrils at the top. Within the gars it is with a maximum of 60 % of the head length is relatively short and wide. The teeth are sitting in two rows each side of the jaw. The gills Reuse has on the first gill arch 67-81 on branched rays.

Way of life

The type holds primarily in freshwater lakes and rivers, and feeds mostly on fish, but also occasionally captured waterfowl.

Swell

• K. E. Carpenter (ed.): The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Volume 2: Bony fishes part 1 ( Acipenseridae to Grammatidae ). In: FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes and American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication. 5, FAO, Rome, 2002, pp. 676 (full text).
• Cuban gar on Fishbase.org (English)