Campylomormyrus curvirostris (Boulenger, 1898)
Species overview
Large fish, moderately deep, head trunk-shape snouted, snout tubular, much prolonged, evenly curved down, pointed, base of dorsal fin shorter than base of anal. Back pale brown, belly whitish, countershaded, dark band between unpaired fins, more faint in larger specimens. Size observed: 348 mm SL, 387 mm TL.
C. curvirostris(measurements)
Taxonomic description
-Body moderately elongate, laterally compressed, depth of body 20-25 % SL, greatest depth close to anal fin; head, without snout, 15-22 % SL, snout inclusive 35-41 % SL, head depth 14-21 % SL, 61-91 % body depth.
-Outline of back straight, smoothly continuing into the strongly convex upper profile of head, underside of head strongly concave, smoothly continuing into the slightly convex outline of the belly.
-Mouth terminal, directed downward, its width nearly 1/2 eye diameter, edge of mouth very far away from nostrils, upper jaw much below body.
-Snout or preorbital region or rostrum tubular, its end strongly compressed, its least depth a little more than eye diameter, about 12 times in its length; length of snout 170-275 % postorbital length. (The extreme shape of the snout changes with age/size of the fish, in juveniles it is much less obvious).
-Chin protruding mouth, barbel compressed, about 1.5 times eye diameter in length.
-Teeth conical, 3/4.
-Nostrils separate, anterior circular, slightly above posterior which is oval and about 3 times eye diameter away from the eye, axis of nostrils runs more or less parallel to axis of head.
-Opercular cleft 18-23 % head length without snout, S-shaped.
-Dorsal fin 32 rays, anal, 36, base of D 16-24 % SL, base of A 19-29 % SL, origin of D behind origin of A, end of D more or less opposite end of A, anterior portions of both much higher than rest. Predorsal length 59-66 % SL, preanal length 54-61% SL. Base of pectoral fin close to middle of opercular cleft, P pointed, extending to beyond base of pelvic fin. V is closer to P than to A.
-Caudal fin with short scaled portion, membranes obtusely pointed. 90 scales in lateral line, 16 around caudal peduncle. Length of caudal peduncle 14-19 % SL, its depth 4-5 % SL, 23-32 % its length.
-Coloration »Pale brown on the back, whitish below: countershaded. In large specimens traces of a darker band between D and A, caudal fin darker. In juveniles probably more clearly markings.
Type locality
»Matadi« Lower Zaïre (05° 49 ‘ S 13° 27 ‘ E) Democratic Republic of Congo.
Distribution
Congo basin (Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola and Cameroon).
Electric organ discharges
C. curvirostris(elec. organ)