Marcusenius friteli (Pellegrin, 1904)
Species overview
Small-sized fish, body much elongate, moderately compressed, head uneven blunt-snouted, outlines of back and belly nearly parallel to each other; pectoral fin not reaching to base of pelvic fin; caudal fin rounded. Uniform brownish. Size observed: 122 mm SL, 135 mm TL.
M. friteli(measurements)
Taxonomic description
-Body much elongate, moderately compressed, body depth 16-22 % SL, greatest depth above or anterior to pelvic fin.
-Head depth 19-25 % SL, head depth 14-17 % SL, 71-91 % body depth.
-Outlines of back and belly more or less straight, upper profile of head convex, snout blunt, underside of head concave.
-Snout 20-26 % head depth.
-Mouth wide, about 2/3 length of snout, terminal, its edge below anterior nostril, upper jaw on a level with of eye centre.
-Chin with big globular swelling.
-Teeth strongly notched 4/5.
-Nostrils separate, circular, posterior slightly deeper than centre of eye, anterior above it, close to front, axis of nostrils axis of head at an angle of about 45°.
-Eye small, its diameter 7-11 % head depth, 11-16 % postorbital length.
-Opercular cleft curved, 43-58 % head depth, 63-82 % head depth.
-Dorsal fin 19 fin-rays, base of D 17-21 % SL, anal fin 31 rays, base of A 27-32 % SL, origin of D well behind origin of A, its end before end of A; predorsal length 63-68 % SL, preanal length 56-59 % SL.
-Pectoral fin obtusely pointed, not extending to base of pelvic fin. V is closer to P than to A.
-Caudal fin with rounded scaled and membranous lobes, short, less than 10 % SL. 65 scales in lateral line; 12 round caudal peduncle.
-Caudal peduncle 13-16 % SL, its depth 4-5 % SL, 28-40 % its length.
-Coloration »Uniform brownish«, fins included.
Type locality
»Riv. Alima, à Diélé: Mission de l’ Ouest africain«. (Alima river 01° 36 ‘ S 16° 36 ‘ E.)
Distribution
»Middle Zaïre (Congo) basin, (Stanley-Pool - Pool Malemba - Zaïre and Alima River, Congo Brazzaville; Ogowe River, Gabon.)