Campylomormyrus

Campylomormyrus elephas

Campylomormyrus is a genus of African freshwater fish from the family of mormyrids ( Mormyridae ). It occurs in Central and West Africa, most of the species in the Congo Basin.

Features

Campylomormyrus species are 20 to 65 cm long and have a short to elongate, laterally flattened body of typical Nilhechtgestalt. The muzzle is long, tubular and curved downward, the mouth is small and terminal. A fleshy outgrowth of the mandible serves as a sensory organ for the detection of food. The few teeth are conical or bicuspid. Dorsal and anal fins each other at the back of the body opposite symmetrical. Both fins are almost the same length, the dorsal fin only slightly shorter.

The fish are inconspicuous, usually colored uniform dark gray or brownish. Often shows a diamond- shaped bright drawing on the abdomen. Like all mormyrids are Campylomormyrus species for electric communication and electrical orientation capable.

In older fish, the snout in relation to body length is getting longer. Therefore, some scientists use to diagnose the types of non- standard length, but the distances between the tip of the snout and eye ( LM, "Length of the snout " ) and eye and caudal fin base ( LSPO, "Post - orbital standardized length" ).

Nutrition

Campylomormyrus species feed mainly on insect larvae, tracking them in the bottom of the water. Some species can expel from their tubular mouth a water jet in order to expose them.

Species

The species belong to 14 species:

  • Campylomormyrus alces ( Boulenger, 1920)
  • Campylomormyrus bredoi (Poll, 1945)
  • Campylomormyrus cassaicus (Poll, 1967)
  • Campylomormyrus christyi ( Boulenger, 1920)
  • Campylomormyrus curvirostris ( Boulenger, 1898)
  • Campylomormyrus elephas ( Boulenger, 1898)
  • Campylomormyrus luapulaensis (LR David & Poll, 1937)
  • Campylomormyrus mirus ( Boulenger, 1898)
  • Ibis Nilhecht ( Campylomormyrus numenius ) ( Boulenger, 1898)
  • Campylomormyrus Orycteropus Poll, JP Gosse & city, 1982
  • Campylomormyrus phantasticus ( Pellegrin, 1927)
  • Longnose Nilhecht ( Campylomormyrus Rhynchophorus ) ( Boulenger, 1898)
  • Aardvark - snout fish ( Campylomormyrus tamandua ) ( Günther, 1864)
  • Campylomormyrus Tshokwe (Poll, 1967)
Taxonomic rank#All ranks Mormyrinae Pieter Bleeker George Albert Boulenger Max Poll Jacques Pellegrin FishBase
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