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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)

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

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: L_m ? 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 Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

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: Version 2024-1)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 16 February 2009

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Other

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
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Ecology
Ecology

Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
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Life cycle
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Distribution
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Anatomy
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Physiology
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Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01175 (0.00474 - 0.02910), 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).

Price category (Ref. 80766): Unknown.

Malapterurus microstoma Poll & Gosse, 1969