Campylomormyrus cassaicus (Poll, 1967)
Species overview
Large fish, moderately elongate, head trunk-shape snouted, snout trunk-shaped, tubular, bent down, moderately long, with barbel; juveniles with white markings, which get less obvious in larger specimens. Dark brown with lighter belly, countershaded, dark bar between unpaired fins in juveniles. Size observed: 319 mm SL.
C. cassaicus(measurements)
Taxonomic description
-Body moderately deep, 23-27 % SL, greatest depth close to anal fin, laterally compressed, head length (measured from upper edge opercular cleft across the eye to front contour, i. e. without snout) 16-23 % SL, snout inclusive 22-36 % SL, head depth 18-21 % SL, 67-93 % body depth.
-Outline of back more or less straight, upper profile of head strongly convex, along snout straight or slightly concave, underside of head strongly concave, outline of belly slightly convex.
-Snout tubular, moderately long, 138-141 % postorbital length, compressed, distally thicker and even more curved, about as deep as eye diameter. (The extreme shape of the snout changes with age/size of the fish, in juveniles it is much less obvious).
-Chin with submental swelling and short barbel, 0.8 times in eye diameter.
-Mouth terminal, not running parallel to axis of head, mouth width 10-11 % snout length, edge of mouth very far away from nostrils, upper jaw well below head.
-Teeth 3/4.
-Nostrils separate, anterior circular, a little above posterior which is oval and about one eye diameter away from the eye; axis of nostrils cutting axis of head at an angle of about 30°.
-Eye 16-22 % head length without snout.
-Opercular cleft rather straight, 43-57 % head length.
-Dorsal fin 31 rays, base of D 23-29 % SL, anal fin 35 rays, 25-33 % SL; origin of D behind origin of A, its end more or less opposite end of A. Predorsal length 56-63 % SL, preanal length 50-58 % SL.
-Pectoral fin pointed, its origin a little below the middle of opercular cleft. P extends to the base, in juveniles to the end of pelvic fin. V is closer to P than to A.
-Caudal fin pointed, scaled lobes very short, membrane long. 76 scales in lateral line, 16 scales around caudal peduncle.
-Caudal peduncle about 19 % SL, its depth 4-5 % SL, 23-27 % its length.
-Coloration »Dark brown, belly somewhat lighter, in juveniles a large dark, white bordered rhomb between the origins of D and A, rather faint in larger specimens. Fins, in particular D, A and C, with lighter margins, following fin-rays blackish-brown, distally fading out., P and V dark with lighter margin.
Type locality
»Dundo, pêché dans les rapides du Luachimo«. (07° 22 ‘ S 20° 40 ‘ E)
Distribution
»Affl. River Kasai (Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola) (Kasai river 03° 02 ‘ S 16° 57 ‘ E)