Malapterurus
barbatus Norris, 2002
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| Image
contributors to this species: |
| Allan
James
(1 Stamp) |
| ScotCat
Sources: |
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| Other
Sources: |
 
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| Relevant
Information: |
Anal spines: 0; Anal
soft rays: 8 – 9; Vertebrae: 38 – 41. Diagnosis: tooth
patches broad; 8-9 anal-fin rays; 0-4 gill-rakers on upper branch
of first arch; 3 unbranched ventral caudal- fin rays; 38-41
vertebrae; caudal fin with prominent pale basal crescent, even
in adults; body typically grey; grey flank pigment carried onto
the lower lip, mental barbels and, in adults, the underside of
the head. Description: body and head moderately
depressed; eyes placed laterally; snout blunt; lips thick; lower
jaw prominent, particularly in juveniles; 16-18 abdominal vertebrae;
22-24 caudal vertebrae; 20 caudal fin rays (usual arrangement
ii-7-8- iii; iii-6-8-iii in some juveniles; ii-7-9-ii
in one adult). Colouration: head and body bicolored
in shades of grey; dorsum and flank well-marked with spots, most
an eye diameter or smaller, with similar spots scattered
across venter; dorsal surface of pectoral fin dusky in adults,
pelvic fin generally unmarked; underside of head (from snout to
level of pectoral fin) bears a distinct scattering of dark
grey pigment (matching dorsal pigment in shade), lower lip and
barbels similarly marked; pigmentation of ventral surface of head
well- developed in young and adults and starts forming at
about 70-80mm SL; anal fin with faint dusky bar near its distal
margin in young and juveniles, which is not apparent in larger
specimens in which the anal fin is generally unpigmented and may
bear scattered small spots or a slight shading of grey pigment;
caudal fin in adults roughly the same shade as flank, with a pale
distal margin and a faint pale basal crescent; caudal fin in young
and juveniles with a dark bar set off by the pale distal margin
and a wide, pale basal crescent; caudal saddle and bar pattern
well-developed in specimens up to about 70mm SL; caudal bar dark
and mostly on the caudal peduncle; saddle extending about 3/4
of the way down the flank, generally not as dark nor as well-defined
as the caudal bar. Etymology: The name is derived
from the Latin barbatus, meaning bearded. This is in
reference to the dusky underside of the head typical of this species. |
| Common
Name: |
Liberian
Electric Catfish |
| Synonyms: |
Silurus electricus |
| Family: |
Malapteruridaelycipitidae |
| Distribution: |
Africa: from the
Kolente River (Sierra Leone/Guinea) to the Borlor River (Liberia) |
| Size:
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21.5cm.SL
(8½ins) |
| Temp: |
23
-30°C (73 -87°F) |
| p.H. |
6.5
-7.2. |
| Reference: |
Norris, S.M.,
2002. A revision of the African electric catfishes, family Malapteruridae
(Teleostei, Siluriformes), with erection of a new genus and descriptions
of fourteen new species, and an annotated bibliography. Ann. Mus.
R. Afr. Centr., Sci. Zool., 289:155 p |
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Family:
Malapteruridae
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on thumbnails |
Malapterurus
barbatus
Stamp
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