-
- About this page
- Languages
- User feedbacks
- Citation
- Uploads
-
Related species
- Species in
Malapterurus - Species in
Malapteruridae - - Classification -
- Malapteruridae
- Siluriformes
- Teleostei
- Chordata
- Animalia
- Species in
-
Malapterurus electricus (Gmelin, 1789)
Electric catfish
Upload your photos and videos
Pictures | Stamps, coins, misc. | Google image
Malapterurus electricus
Picture by Nightingale, A.
Pictures | Stamps, coins, misc. | Google image
Picture by Nightingale, A.
Common names from other countries
Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) > Siluriformes (Catfishes) > Malapteruridae (Electric catfishes)
Etymology: Malapterurus: Greek, mala = a lot of + Greek, pteron = fin + Greek, oura = tail (Ref. 45335); electricus: The electric discharging capacity of this electric catfish is described by the specific epithet (Ref. 44050).
More on author: Gmelin.
Etymology: Malapterurus: Greek, mala = a lot of + Greek, pteron = fin + Greek, oura = tail (Ref. 45335); electricus: The electric discharging capacity of this electric catfish is described by the specific epithet (Ref. 44050).
More on author: Gmelin.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic; pH range: 7.0 - 8.0; dH range: ? - 20; potamodromous (Ref. 51243). Tropical; 23°C - 30°C (Ref. 1672); 35°N - 30°S
Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri
Africa: typical Sudanian distribution; in much of the Nile system (exclusive of Lake Victoria), Lake Turkana, Lake Chad and Senegal basins, throughout the Niger system and smaller southward flowing basins in west Africa, from Bandama through Volta rivers in Ivory Coast and Ghana (Ref. 44050). Absent from Congo basin; reports from Congo basin refer to any of the other species in this system (see Ref. 44050 for details).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 122 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3850); max. published weight: 20.0 kg (Ref. 3799); max. reported age: 10 years (Ref. 7248)
Max length : 122 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3850); max. published weight: 20.0 kg (Ref. 3799); max. reported age: 10 years (Ref. 7248)
Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 0; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 9 - 11; Vertebrae: 38 - 41. Diagnosis: tooth patches narrow; pectoral fin placed near body mid-depth; 7-8 branched caudal fin rays (Ref. 44050). 9-11 anal-fin rays, usually 10-11; 38-41 total vertebrae, usually 39-41 (Ref. 57130). Caudal saddle and bar pattern not present in adults (Ref. 57130), poorly developed in all ages (Ref. 44050). Flank and dorsum in adults and young marked with large blotches (some up to 4-5 times eye diameter); caudal fin of adults generally same color as flank ground color or slightly darker, larger specimens usually with spots or blotches in caudal fin (Ref. 44050, 57130).
Occur among rocks or roots. Favors sluggish or standing water. Active at night, feeding mainly on fish stunned by electric shocks. Described as a nocturnal piscivore that breeds during periods of high water; rarely feeds on molluscs (Ref. 44050). The electric organ, capable of discharging 300-400 V, is derived from pectoral muscle and surrounds almost the entire body. It is used both for prey capture and defense. Electric organ discharge (EOD) is intermittent and the amplitude increases with size of the fish (Ref. 10011). Responds immediately to cyclic light changes, exhibiting maximum EOD activity shortly after sunset and lowest activity just after sunrise (Ref. 10798). Its EOD duration decreased from 1.5 to 0.3 ms in response to increased temperature from 15 to 30°C (Ref. 10838). Adults form pairs and breed in excavated cavities or holes (Ref. 7248). Maximum size in Lake Chad reported as 1125mm SL, but most museum specimens much smaller (maximum 400mm SL, Nile River)(Ref. 57130).
Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
It is assumed that the male tends the clutch. Others report that the male takes the eggs into his mouth. It is also unknown how the fry is immune to the electric shocks by the parents (Ref. 1672).
Main reference
Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators
Roberts, T.R., 2000. A review of the African electric catfish family Malapteruridae, with descriptions of new species. Occas. Pap. Ichthyol. 1:1-15. (Ref. 34006)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 21 October 2019
Human uses
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries; gamefish: yes
FAO(Publication : search) | FishSource |
More information
Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Fecundity
Spawning
Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Reproduction
Maturity
Fecundity
Spawning
Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Anatomy
Gill area
Brain
Otolith
Gill area
Brain
Otolith
Physiology
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Tools
Bio-Quiz | E-book | Field guide | Identification keys | Length-frequency wizard | Life-history tool | Point map | Classification Tree
| Catch-MSY |
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Alien/Invasive Species database | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | Faunafri | Fishtrace | GenBank(genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | GOBASE | | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Scirus | SeaLifeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia(Go, Search) | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record
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=0.01202 (0.00881 - 0.01641), b=2.96 (2.87 - 3.05), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 2.9 ±0.38 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (tmax=10; Fec < 1,000).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Very high vulnerability (89 of 100).