Brienomyrus (Brienomyrus) curvifrons Taverne, Thys van den Audenaerde, Heymer and Géry, 1977
Species overview
Small to medium sized fish, body elongate, snout rounded, blunt, about half as deep as head depth, clearly bent down; eye and anterior nostril clearly away from outline of head; body brown, countershaded, unpaired fins brown at base, distally darker. Size observed: 124 mm SL, 136 mm TL.
B. curvifrons(measurements)
Taxonomic description
-Body rather elongate, laterally compressed, body depth 18 % SL, greatest depth at about middle of trunk.
-Head clearly bent down, length 23 % SL, head depth 15 % SL.
-Outline of back straight, of belly straight or slightly convex, upper profile of head feebly convex or straight, underside of head concave.
-Snout moderately elongate, 25 % head length, 63 % postorbital length; its depth about half the head depth; tip of snout round, slightly protruding mouth, which is slightly subterminal, 13 % head length, 20% postorbital length; edge of mouth extending to a line half the distance between nostrils, upper jaw on a level with lower edge of opercular cleft.
-Chin moderately fleshy, without swelling or appendage.
-Teeth notched, 5 in upper, 6 in lower jaw. The nostrils are separate, circular, approximately at the level of the axis of the body, midway between eye and tip of snout, the anterior one a little above the posterior; axis of nostrils cutting axis of head at an angle of less than 30ª.
-Opercular cleft short, slightly curved, 28 % head length, 42 % head depth.
-Eye small, 11 % head length, 43 % postorbital length. Fin rays in dorsal 21, base of D 19 % SL, anal 24-25 rays, base of A 24 % SL; origin of D posterior to the origin of A, both fins ending opposite to each other. Predorsal length 60% SL, preanal length 54 % SL.
-Pectoral obtusely pointed, extending a little posterior to base of pelvic. V closer to P than to A, Caudal fin rounded, proximal half scaled obtusely pointed. 78 scales in lateral line, 12 scales around.
-Caudal peduncle slender, 20 % SL, its depth 4 % SL, 22 % its length.
Coloration: upper part of head, back and dorsal part of caudal peduncle dark-brown, belly and ventral part of caudal peduncle light-brown, (i.e. countershaded), bases of dorsal and anal fin light brown. tips dark-brown, fin-rays darker.
Type locality
»Rivière Ivindo, près de M’ Passa, Makokou, Gabon. « Geographical co-ordinates: 0° 25’ N, 12° 48’ E.
Distribution
Ivindo river, North Gabon (type locality).
Electric organ discharges
B. curvifrons(elec. organ)
B. curvifrons(EOD)