Abstract
The distribution and abundance of the five species of Schilbeidae in Lake Kainji were studied. The gill net samples showed that Eutropius niloticus was the most abundant and very common species in the lake. Physailia pellucida although greatly under-estimated by the gill nets was the next abundant and fairly common species. Schilbe mystus was not as abundant as the two previous species but was found to be common. Schilbe uranoscopus and Siluranodon auritus were very rare in the Lake. The spatial distribution showed that E. niloticus and P. pellucida occurred in high numbers in the open lake and the shorelines, while S. mystus had its highest number in the riverine areas of the Lake. An upward trend in the abundance of E. niloticus and P. pellucida was indicated while a decrease in the abundance of S. mystus within the lake was noted.
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Olatunde, A.A. The distribution, abundance and trends in the establishment of the family schilbeidae (osteichthyes: siluriformes) in Lake Kainji, Nigeria. Hydrobiologia 56, 69–80 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00023287
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00023287