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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); occidentalis: From the Latin "occidentalis" = west, in reference to the far west African distribution (Ref. 44050).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; demersal. Tropical

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

Africa: (middle) Gambia and Géba Rivers in Gambia and Guinea-Bissau respectively (Ref. 44050, 57130).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 32.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 57130)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 0; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 9 - 11; Vertebrae: 36 - 38. Diagnosis: tooth patches narrow; vertically based pectoral fin positioned near body mid-depth; 7-8 branched caudal-fin rays; eye relatively large; interorbital space relatively narrow; 8-9 pectoral-fin rays; 36-38 vertebrae; young tan or brown; caudal saddle and bar pattern present in juveniles but poorly developed in adults; flank and dorsum marked with small spots but no large blotches; caudal fin not heavily marked with spots or blotches (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: 21 October 2019

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
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Ecology
Ecology

Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
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Abundance

Life cycle
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Maturity/Gills rel.
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Eggs
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Larvae
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Distribution
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Anatomy
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Genetics
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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): 3.4 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low to moderate vulnerability (29 of 100).

Malapterurus occidentalis Norris, 2002