Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Osteoglossiformes (Bony tongues) >
Mormyridae (Elephantfishes)
Etymology: Marcusenius: Becasue of J. Marcusen, author of "Zur Phauna des Schwarzen Meeres", 1867; ichthyologist; desertus: The specific name desertus refers to the Skeleton Coast desert (Ref. 113652).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical; 20°C - 22°C (Ref. 113652)
Africa: lower reaches of the Cunene River, close to the coast, in Angola and Namibia (Ref. 113652, 120641).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 20.7 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 113652)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 21 - 25; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 26 - 32. Diagnosis: Marcusenius desertus can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following characters: short snout length, 40.8-45.8% of head length; small eye diameter, 11.9-19.5% of head length; nares separation 12.7-17.6 times in head length; short preanal distance, 59.2-62.7% of standard length; short head length, 17.6-20.8% of standard length; and long anal fin, 23.7-27.4% of standard length (Ref. 113652).
The riverbed where this species is found, is sandy or rocky, occasionally with steep cliffs bordering the river (Ref. 113652).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae
Kramer, L.B., F.H. van der Bank and M. Wink, 2016. Marcusenius desertus sp. nov. (Teleostei: Mormyridae), a mormyrid fish from the Namib desert. Afr. J. Aquat. Sci. 41(1):1-18. (Ref. 113652)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
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=0.00562 (0.00251 - 0.01261), b=3.05 (2.85 - 3.25), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.1 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (15 of 100).