Teleostei (teleosts) >
Osteoglossiformes (Bony tongues) >
Mormyridae (Elephantfishes)
Etymology: Pollimyrus: Because of Dr. Max Poll, ichthyologist + Greek, myros, -ou = the male of the morey eel.
Eponymy: Dr Max Fernand Leon Poll (1908–1991) was a Belgian ichthyologist, and ‘connoisseur of the fish fauna’. [...] Francis(co) Louis Nompar de Caumont, Comte de Laporte de Castelnau (1810–1880) was a career diplomat and naturalist who was born in London, studied natural science in Paris, and then led a French scientific expedition to study the lakes of Canada, [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on author: Boulenger.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal. Tropical; 11°S - 21°S
Africa: Okavango basin and upper Zambezi River; also from the Kafue and Cunene Rivers and northern areas of Lake Malawi (Ref. 52193). Also reported from the Luongo (lower Luapula tributary, upper Congo River basin) in Zambia (Ref. 27609, 94890) and the Kasai in Angola (Ref. 120641).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 7.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 52193)
Inhabits dense vegetation along margins of rivers and floodplain lagoons (Ref. 7248, 52193). Often found in lagoons and backwaters in shallow water just underneath the surface vegetation (Ref. 13337). It feeds on aquatic insect larvae including a large component of Chironomidae (Ref. 13337).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Gosse, J.-P., 1984. Mormyridae. p. 63-122. In J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). ORSTOM, Paris and MRAC, Tervuren. Vol. 1. (Ref. 3203)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: potential
Tools
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01288 (0.00598 - 0.02775), b=2.86 (2.68 - 3.04), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.2 ±0.40 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
