Teleostei (teleosts) >
Siluriformes (Catfishes) >
Malapteruridae (Electric catfishes)
Etymology: Malapterurus: Greek, mala = a lot of + Greek, pteron = fin + Greek, oura = tail (Ref. 45335); microstoma: From the Greek "micro"=small + "stoma"=mouth, in reference to the narrowed snout and mouth typical for this species (Ref. 44050).
More on authors: Poll & Gosse.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical; 23°C - 28°C (Ref. 2059)
Africa: throughout the Congo River basin (Ref. 44050, 78218), but absent from the lowland, central portion of the basin (Ref. 44050).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 55.5 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 44050); 54.0 cm SL (female)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 10 - 13; Vertebrae: 40 - 42. Diagnosis: tooth patches narrow; horizontally based pectoral fins, placed low on the body; snout sharply narrowed rostrally; 40-42 vertebrae; 7-29 gill-rakers; 11-12 anal-fin rays; caudal saddle and bar pattern very faintly expressed; 7-8 branched caudal-fin rays; body finely spotted; lateral line complete (Ref. 44050).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae
Norris, S.M., 2002. A revision of the African electric catfishes, family Malapteruridae (Teleostei, Siluriformes), with erection of a new genus and descriptions of fourteen new species, and an annotated bibliography. Ann. Mus. R. Afr. Centr., Sci. Zool., 289:1-155. (Ref. 44050)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial
Tools
Special reports
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Internet sources
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=0.01122 (0.00451 - 0.02792), b=3.00 (2.79 - 3.21), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-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 (47 of 100).