Common names from other countries
Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Siluriformes (Catfishes) >
Malapteruridae (Electric catfishes)
Etymology: Malapterurus: Greek, mala = a lot of + Greek, pteron = fin + Greek, oura = tail (Ref. 45335); monsembeensis: Named for Jean-Pierre Gosse, in honor of his years of work in the Congo and collector of many important specimens of electric catfishes (Ref. 44050).
More on author: Roberts.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical
Africa: Congo River basin except for the Zambian Congo (Ref. 78218).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 58.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 8954); 42.0 cm SL (female)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 9 - 12; Vertebrae: 44 - 49. Diagnosis: large species (Ref. 34006, 78218). Tooth patches broad; obliquely angled pectoral fins positioned low on body (Ref. 44050). 17-49 (Ref. 34006) or 44-45 (Ref. 44050) vertebrae. 9-12 anal-fin rays; 19 caudal-fin rays (ii-7-8-ii); eye typically oval (along horizontal axis); caudal saddle and bar pattern poorly developed, even in juveniles; body with relatively small spots and flecks; pectoral and pelvic fin rays unpigmented (Ref. 44050). Broader mouth than M. microstoma, and fewer gill rakers and more vertebrae than either M. microstoma and M. tanganyikaensis; small dark marks rather uniformly distributed over the entire body and caudal fin, with no distinct dark or pale bars or bands, as M. microstoma and M. tanganyikaensis (Ref. 34006).
Female reaches up to 42.0 SL; carnivorous, feeding on fishes, crabs, and other aquatic creatures (Ref. 44050).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae
Roberts, T.R., 2000. A review of the African electric catfish family Malapteruridae, with descriptions of new species. Occas. Pap. Ichthyol. 1:1-15. (Ref. 34006)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
CITES (Ref. 128078)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00389 (0.00180 - 0.00842), b=3.12 (2.94 - 3.30), in cm Total Length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.5 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate to high vulnerability (48 of 100).
