Arapaima  (Arapaima gigas)

Species information

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Glossary

  • Anal fin: in fish, the unpaired fin on the under surface of a fish, behind the anus.
  • Dorsal: relating to the dorsal fin - the unpaired fin found on the back of the body of fish, or the raised structure on the back of most cetaceans.
  • Hypoxic: low oxygen levels.
  • Larvae: stage in an animal’s lifecycle after it hatches from the egg. Larvae are typically very different in appearance to adults; they are able to feed and move around but usually are unable to reproduce.
  • Spawn: the production or depositing of large quantities of eggs in water.

References

  1. IUCN Red List (April, 2008)
    http://www.iucnredlist.org/
  2. Burnie, D. (2001) Animal.Dorling Kindersley, London.
  3. CITES (April, 2008)
    http://www.cites.org
  4. Godinho, H.P., Santos, J.E., Formagio, P.S. and Guimarães-Cruz, R.J. (2005) Gonadal morphology and reproductive traits of the Amazonian fish Arapaima gigas (Schinz, 1822). Acta Zoologica, 86: 289 - 294.
  5. BioTrade Facilitation Programme. (2006) Arapaima gigas market study: current status of Arapaima global trade and perspectives on the Swiss, French and UK markets.United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Geneva. Available at: http://www.biotrade.org/docs/biotradebrief-arapaimagigas.pdf
  6. Marsden, P.D. (1994) Letter from Brasilia: some primitive peoples of the tropics. BMJ, 308: 1095 - 1096.
  7. Sanford, C.P.J. and Lauder, G.V. (1990) Kinematics of the tongue-bite in Osteoglossomorph fishes. Journal of Experimental Biology, 154: 137 - 162.
  8. Hrbek, T., Farias, I.P., Crossa, M., Sampaio, I., Porto, J.I.R. and Meyer, A. (2005) Population genetic analysis of Arapaima gigas, one of the largest freshwater fishes of the Amazon basin: implications for its conservation. Animal Conservation, 8: 297 - 308.
  9. Hrbek, T., Crossa, M. and Farias, I.P. (2007) Conservation strategies for Arapaima gigas (Schinz, 1822) and the Amazonian várzea ecosystem. Brazilian Journal of Biology, 67 (4): 909 - 917.
  10. Ma, X., Bangxi, X., Yindong, W. and Minxue, W. (2003) Intentionally introduced and transferred fishes in China’s inland waters. Asian Fisheries Science, 16: 279 - 290.
  11. Vidthayanon, C. (2005) Aquatic alien species in Thailand (Part 1): Biodiversity. In: Bartley, D.M., Bhujel, R.C., Funge-Smith, S., Olin, P. and Phillips, M. (Eds) International mechanisms for the control and responsible use of alien species in aquatic ecosystems.Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.
  12. Castello, L. (2008) Lateral migration of Arapaima gigas in floodplains of the Amazon. Ecology of Freshwater Fish, 17: 38 - 46.
  13. Castello, L. (2008) Nesting habitat of Arapaima gigas (Schinz) in Amazonian floodplains. Journal of Fish Biology, 72: 1520 - 1528.
  14. Brauner, C.J., Matey, V., Wilson, J.M., Bernier, N.J. and Val, A.L. (2004) Transition in organ function during the evolution of air-breathing; insights from Arapaima gigas, an obligate air-breathing teleost from the Amazon. Journal of Experimental Biology, 207: 1433 - 1438.
  15. Castello, L. (2004) A method to count Pirarucu Arapaima gigas: fishers, assessment and management. North American Journal of Fisheries Management, 24: 379 - 389.
  16. National Geographic: Arapaima Profile (September, 2008)
    http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/arapaima.html
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