| Family: |
Malapteruridae (Electric catfishes) |
| Max. size: |
98 cm SL (male/unsexed) |
| Environment: |
demersal; freshwater |
| Distribution: |
Africa: middle and upper Congo River basin, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Ref. 78218). |
| Diagnosis: |
Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 9-11; Vertebrae: 42-45. Diagnosis: tooth patches broad; obliquely angled pectoral fins positioned low on body; 43-45 vertebrae; 9-11 anal-fin rays; eyes round; body relatively darkly pigmented; larger specimens with dusky pectoral and pelvic fin rays (Ref. 44050).
Description: relatively deep head; broad snout and mouth (in dorsal profile); jaws roughly equal; 18-20 abdominal vertebrae; 23-26 caudal vertebrae; 19 caudal-fin rays (arrangement ii-7-8-ii) (Ref. 44050).
Coloration: body and head bicolored; dorsum and flank medium brown; venter pale tan or off-white; throat bears a scattering of dark pigment; dorsum and flanks well-marked with dark spots (some 1-2 eye diameters large); few, if any, spots on venter or anal or caudal fins; caudal fin in adults pigmented in the same shade as the flank ground color, with pale distal margin; caudal fin also with pale basal crescent in smaller specimens; caudal saddle and bar pattern faint and poorly developed; saddle in juveniles only slightly darker than flank ground color, covering dorsal half of caudal peduncle, merging with caudal bar; pale interspace, when present, hardly differentiated from flank ground color, quite narrow, only covering ventral half of caudal peduncle; pectoral fin dusky, particular in larger specimens; pelvic fin of adults dusky (Ref. 44050). |
| Biology: |
|
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 16 February 2009 Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
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