Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal; potamodromous (Ref. 51243). Tropical
Africa: Nile basin (Ref. 2915) including the Ghazal and Jebel, White Nile, Blue Nile and Lake Nubia (Ref. 28714). Also in the Comoé (subspecies P. b. comoensis), Chad, Volta (Ref. 2915, 81274), Cross and Niger (Ref. 81274) including the Bénoué (Ref. 2915, 81274).
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 11.0 range ? - ? cm
Max length : 20.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 31256); max. published weight: 40.00 g (Ref. 3799)
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 25 - 35; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 31 - 38. Diagnosis: dorsal fin between one half and twice the anal fin length; mouth inferior situated below the eyes (Ref. 28714). Body height > 25% of SL (Ref. 28714), 2.6-3.2 times in SL (Ref. 2915, 81274). Anal fin base 3.1-3.4 times in SL; caudal peduncle height 16.8-18.7 times in SL; eye diameter 3.5-4.5 times in head length; uniform silvery color (Ref. 2915, 81274). Upper jaw with 13-19, lower jaw with 22-29 teeth; subspecies P. b. bane has 29-34 rays in dorsal fin and 31-38 in anal while P. b. comoensis has a lower average number of rays, 25-30 in dorsal and 32-36 in anal fin; scale counts: 40-44 in a longitudinal line and 12 around caudal peduncle; ratio standard length/caudal-peduncle depth in P. b. comoensis: 17.0-18.0 (Ref. 81274).
Coloration: uniform silvery (Ref. 2915, 81274).
Inhabits open water and vegetated areas of lakes, lagoons and irrigation canals; females grow larger and are more frequently caught than males (Sudan); chiefly insectivorous, feeding on the bottom and in vegetation (Ref. 28714). Affinities: P. ansorgii, differ only by the small eyes, the thick caudal peduncle, numerous teeth on lower jaw and the uniform silvery color (P. ansorgii has a spot on the dorsal fin).
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
Aquarium: commercial
Tools
Special reports
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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=0.01445 (0.00755 - 0.02768), b=2.86 (2.70 - 3.02), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-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 (14 of 100).
