Kingdom: Animalia
 Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Semionotiformes Family: Lepisoteidae Genus: Atractosteus Species: Atractosteus tropicus DISTRIBUTION: This is the southern most gar species and it resides in South America. Caribbean and Pacific drainages of southern Mexico and Central America. HABITATS: Demersal, freshwater, tropical, 72-82 F Inhabit backwaters and slow moving sections of rivers and lakes. Tropical gars are often found in the warm stagnant waters of lowland areas. They are sometimes visible on the surface of the water and resemble floating logs. Tropical gars are found in natural wetlands in South America. SPAWNING: They enter shallow lakes at the beginning of the dry season to spawn and are also known to reproduce in June and July when rains are heaviest and rivers flood, increasing the littoral area and providing an ideal spawning habitat of flooded vegetation. Large schools of tropical gar cast thousands of eggs in shallow water areas. The eggs are laid in a gelatinous mass. Adults return to the river leaving the fry amongst the flooded vegetation. The eggs were once thought to be poisonous to eat. However, research has failed to show any negative effects of eating gar eggs, thus this is thought to be a myth. Researchers are inducing spawning of tropical gar with intraperitoneal injections of D-Ala6-LHRHa, Des-Gly10-LHRHe, Estradiol, and Ovaprim. They have found that the use of LHRH analogs and OvaprimTM are effective in inducing spawning and also in providing high fertilization and hatching rates. The results of studies like this indicate that sex identification and spawning control is possible in tropical gars, which is very important for hatchery efficiency, broodstock management, and overall efficiency of farms raising these fish. GROWTH AND SIZE: Maximum size 125 cm (49 inches) (this is max in the wild). Maximum published weight 2,890 grams (6.37 lb). Females apparently grow faster. CULTURE: There is a potential for intensive culture of tropical gar in Aquaculture. There is an interest in raising more native species in South America and the gar seems to be a good candidate. Depleting stocks of wild fish from over fishing and habitat alteration is a driving force behind gar aquaculture. In past years, over fishing and quickly growing regional consumer demand have caused a decrease in the natural populations of tropical gar, thus they are now growing gar in aquaculture facilities. However, it seems new techniques are needed to increase production (see research section). RESEARCH: Most research on this species has been done at the Universidad JuAutde Tabasco (UJAT) PROJECT UNDERWAY IN THE UJAT LAB: A study of populations and sustainable management strategies for the tropical gar in the Biosphere Reserve Pantanos de Centla. The Aquaculture laboratory at the University Jarez Autonoma de Tabasco (UJAT) is conducting research for producing broodstock lots and also experimenting with feminization with estradiol (E2). The justification behind feminization is that females grow larger. OTHER RESEARCH:
USES OF TROPICAL GAR: Tropical gars have cultural and economic value. Tropical gars are sold for the aquarium trade, but they are supposedly hard to find. In Japan the fish sells for as high as $15/fish in the aquarium trade. However, many sold are reportedly from the wild. Tropical gars are also sold as an ornamental fish. They serve a recreational fishery in South America. In past years, over fishing and growing regional consumer demand have caused a decrease in the natural populations, thus they are now growing them in aquaculture facilities. However, new techniques are needed to increase production (see research section). They are a food fish in Guatemala. Tropical gars are considered a delicacy dish in Southern Mexico and an integral part of local culture. The regional importance is similar to the importance of salmon in the Northwestern United States. Tropical gars are sold in every seafood restaurant in Tabasco and apparently pressure on populations has led to the listing of the species as susceptible. REFERENCES: Aguilera, C., R. Mendoza, G. Rodriguez and G. Marquez. 2002. Morphological description of alligator gar and tropical gar larvae, with and emphasis on growth indicators. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 131:899-909. ONLINE INFORMATION:
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