Petrocephalus catostoma

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Petrocephalus catostoma
Drawing of the type specimen.

Drawing of the type specimen .

Systematics
Order : Bony tongues (Osteoglossiformes)
Subordination : Knifefish-like (Notopteroidei)
Family : Nilhechte (Mormyridae)
Subfamily : Petrocephalinae
Genre : Petrocephalus
Type : Petrocephalus catostoma
Scientific name
Petrocephalus catostoma
( Günther , 1866)

Petrocephalus catostoma ( Syn .: Mormyrus catostoma Günther, 1866) is an African freshwater fish from the family of the Nilhechte (Mormyridae). It occurs in eastern Africa in the Rovuma (border river between Tanzania and Mozambique) and in western tributaries of Lake Malawi , but not in the nearby Chiutasee .

features

Petrocephalus catostoma becomes 15 cm long and has a laterally flattened, oval-shaped body, a rounded head with a small, subordinate mouth, which is located directly below the eyes. It is silvery gray in color, with the back blackish and the underside lighter. A golden-brown sheen appears on the back and on the tail stalk. The fins are light and transparent. The fish is about three times as long as it is tall, the head length is 24.9 to 29% of the standard length . The body is covered by round scales that have a pattern of net-like streaks. Both jaws are set with small, notched teeth.

The dorsal fin begins after about 3/4 of the standard length, the anal fin is symmetrically opposite the dorsal fin and is slightly longer than the dorsal fin. In adult males, there is a kink in the base of the anal fin, while it is straight in juveniles and females. The tail stalk is long and 19.5 to 23.85% of the standard length. The number of scales around the caudal peduncle is 12 to 16. The caudal fin is forked, the two lobes rounded. The pelvic fins are half as long as the pectoral fins.

Way of life

Petrocephalus catostoma forms small shoals, also with other Nile pike with similar electrical signals, and lives in shallow and muddy waters, in sheltered bays, lagoons and swamp areas. In rivers, the species prefers quiet sections where there is plenty of vegetation. It feeds on insect larvae and other invertebrates and searches for food at night. Petrocephalus catostoma reproduces during the rainy season and migrates upstream to reach its spawning areas. Males should be territorial and build a nest.

Systematics

Petrocephalus catostoma was described as Mormyrus catostoma by the German zoologist Albert Günther in 1866 . Up until a revision of the genus Petrocephalus in 2012, many more Nile pike populations were added to the species from the Limpopo river basin to Lake Victoria . Six new species of hake were described ( P. longianalis ( Lufubu ), P. longicapitis (Upper Zambezi, Eastern Caprivi Strip), P. magnitrunci ( Okavango Delta ), P. magnoculis ( Kunene below the Ruacana Falls ), P. okavangensis ( Okavango ) and P. petersi (lower (Mozambican) Zambezi)) and some species previously synonymous with P. catostoma revalidated. The sister species of Petrocephalus catostoma is Petrocephalus wesselsi ( Komati , Letaba & Pongola ), sister group of the clade formed by both is a clade of Petrocephalus longicapitis and Petrocephalus magnoculis .

literature

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