Edit Atractosteus spatula
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Name
Scientific name
Atractosteus spatula
Described by
Authority Lacepède, Year 1803, Bracketed
Family
Lepisosteidae
Common names
Alligator Gar
Photograph credits
All 2 credited
Summary
The alligator gar, Atractosteus spatula, is a gar from the lower Mississippi basin and Gulf Coast states of the south-eastern USA and Mexic…
Size and aquarium
Maximum size
3050mm, standard length
Aquarium size
Water movement Low: still or sluggish water
Water
Water conditions
Temperature 11–23°C, pH 6–8
Hardness
5–25dGH
Conductivity
Not recorded
Behaviour
Temperament
Not recorded
Social needs
Solitary or specimen
Community suitability
Not for a community
Where it lives
Countries, regions, rivers and lakes
Mexico, United States, Enconfina, Mississippi
Writing
Etymology
Not written yet
Distribution
Native to central and south-eastern states of the USA plus northern and central Mexico. No specific type locality was provided in the original description, and…
Habitat
Found in various habitats from large lakes and rivers to sluggish tributaries, backwaters and pools, and can surive in both fresh and brackish waters, but show…
Aquarium size
Suitable only for very large public installations.
Maintenance
Relatively unfussy provided water flow is not too strong and lighting not bright.
Water conditions
Not written yet
Diet
Gars are ambush predators feedimg on smaller fishes and aquatic crustaceans in nature. It can sometimes be tricky to get newly-introduced captive individuals t…
Behaviour and compatibility
Best kept alone, or with similarly-sized, non-aggressive fishes it cannot fit into its mouth.
Sexual dimorphism
Unconfirmed, but females are thought to grow larger than males.
Reproduction
Not bred in aquaria. In nature it tends to move into temporarily-inundated wetlands or floodplains to spawn during spring months where it mayn congregate in co…
Notes
This is one of the largest freshwater fish species in the world, and clearly shouldn't be considered a home aquarium subject at all given its eventual size and…
References
References
No references