Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Cypriniformes
(Carps) > Cyprinidae
(Minnows or carps) > Labeoninae
Etymology: Labeo: Latin, labeo = one who has large lips (Ref. 45335); weeksii: named after the missionary Rev. J.H. Weeks who collected the type material of this species (Ref. 26190). More on author: Boulenger.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical
Africa: widespread in the Congo River basin; also in the Malagarasi basin (Ref. 26190). Most closely resembles Labeo lineatus and is only dubiously distinct from that species (Ref. 1440).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 29.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2801)
Vertebrae: 30 - 31. Both lips have rows of conical papillae on the inner surface; the upper edge of the dorsal fin is straight or feebly convex; the body has the characteristic longitudinal dark bands; a dark spot is found on the caudal peduncle (Ref. 26190, 12456).
Found over sandy bottoms of deep waters of the middle reaches of the Congo River. This species was collected from areas with rapidly flowing water (Ref. 26190).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Reid, G.M., 1985. A revision of African species of Labeo (Pisces: Cyprinidae) and a re-definition of the genus. Verlag von J. Cramer, Braunschweig. 322 p. (Ref. 1440)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 120744)
CITES (Ref. 118484)
Threat to humans
Common namesSynonymsMetabolismPredatorsEcotoxicologyReproductionMaturitySpawningSpawning aggregationFecundityEggsEgg development
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805
= 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00676 (0.00299 - 0.01530), b=3.08 (2.91 - 3.25), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245
Resilience (Ref. 120179
): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153
): Low to moderate vulnerability (35 of 100) .