Mormyrus

Mormyrus sp.

Mormyrus is a genus of African freshwater fish from the family of mormyrids ( Mormyridae ). It occurs in all regions of sub-Saharan tropical Africa and the Nile.

Features

Mormyrus species are 14.5 to 100 cm long and have a very elongated for mormyrids, laterally flattened body. The muzzle is long, often more or less tubular in shape and bent downwardly; the mouth is small and terminal. A fleshy outgrowth of the mandible serves as a sensory organ for the detection of food. The 5 to 12 teeth in the upper jaw and 8 to 14 in the lower jaw are indented and small. Dorsal and anal fin are not symmetrical, as with many other Nilhechtgattungen, but the genre has a very long dorsal fin that extends over the greater part of the trunk, and a short anal fin. The pelvic fins are located halfway between the pectoral fins and the anal fin. For species of the very similar genus Myomyrus from the Congo Basin they are closer to the pectoral fins. Mormyrus also differs in the terminal mouth and small teeth of Myomyrus. The mouth of Myomyrus is inferior and on the mandibular symphysis has the genus some enlarged teeth.

The fish are inconspicuous, usually colored monochrome gray or brownish. Like all mormyrids are Mormyrus species for electric communication and electrical orientation capable.

Species

The genus comprises more than 20 species:

  • Mormyrus bernhardi Pellegrin, 1926
  • Mormyrus caballus Boulenger, 1898
  • Mormyrus casalis Vinciguerra, 1922
  • Mormyrus caschive Linnaeus, 1758
  • Mormyrus cyaneus Roberts & Stewart, 1976
  • Mormyrus Felixi Pellegrin, 1939
  • Mormyrus goheeni Fowler, 1919
  • Mormyrus hasselquistii Valenciennes, 1847
  • Mormyrus hildebrandti Peters, 1882
  • Mormyrus iriodes Roberts & Stewart, 1976
  • Tapir trunk fish ( Mormyrus kannume ) Forsskål, 1775
  • Mormyrus Lacerda Castelnau, 1861 Mormyrus rume
  • Mormyrus longirostris Peters, 1852
  • Mormyrus macrocephalus Worthington, 1929
  • Mormyrus macrophthalmus Günther, 1866
  • Mormyrus niloticus ( Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
  • Mormyrus ovis Boulenger, 1898
  • Rume - snout fish ( Mormyrus rume ) Valenciennes, 1847
  • Mormyrus subundulatus Roberts, 1989
  • Mormyrus tapirus Pappenheim, 1905
  • Mormyrus tenuirostris Peters, 1882
  • Mormyrus thomasi Pellegrin, 1938
Taxonomic rank#All ranks Mormyrinae FishBase
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