Marcusenius intermedius Pellegrin, 1924
Species overview
Smaller sized fish, body moderately deep, head uneven blunt-snouted, snout obtusely pointed, slightly protruding mouth which is terminal, the globular swelling is very small; two dark bars between the unpaired fins. Poorly known species. Size observed: 140 mm SL.
M. intermedius(measurements)
Taxonomic description
-Body moderately elongate, laterally compressed, body depth 23-28 % SL, greatest depth above pelvic fin.
-Head blunt, head length 22-25 % SL, head depth 18-21 SL, 70-77 % body depth.
-Outline of back slightly convex, upper profile of head convex, underside of head concave, outline of belly slightly convex.
-Snout obtusely pointed, 27-30 % head length, 33-54 % postorbital length.
-Mouth wide, 14-18 % head length, terminal, its edge below posterior nostril, upper jaw on a level with lower edge of opercular cleft.
-Chin with very small globular swelling.
-Teeth notched, 5/6.
-Nostrils separate, circular, anterior nostril on a level with lower rim of eye, posterior nostril on a level with lower rim of eye; axis of nostrils cutting axis of head at an angle of about 30°.
-Eye located about one diameter of eye below outline of head, diameter 12-17 % head length, 45-49% snout length.
-Opercular cleft curved, 38-42 % head length, 47-52 % head depth.
-Dorsal fin 21-22 fin-rays, base of D 18-20 % SL, anal fin 28 rays, base of A 22-25 % SL, origin of D behind origin of A, end of D before end of A, Predorsal length 63-65 % SL, preanal length 56-61 % SL.
-Pectoral fin obtusely pointed, extending to middle of pelvic fin. V is closer to P than to A.
-Caudal fin pointed, scaled lobe obtusely pointed, about half as long as entire fin. 38-43 scales in lateral line; 8 round caudal peduncle.
-Caudal peduncle 16-18 % SL, its depth 6-7 % SL, 25-44 % its length.
-Coloration Head, caudal peduncle and fins dark brown, trunk yellowish brown with two dark vertical bands between both origins and ends of the unpaired fins, three lateral line scales covering the anterior dark band.
Type locality
»Kabambaie, Kasaï« Democratic Republic of Congo. (Kabambaie: 5° 45’ S 20° 49’ E)
Distribution
»Distributed in the Central Congo basin, where it is found in three different localities far from each other. Boden, et al. 1997). »Kasaï River, (type locality)« Democratic Republic of Congo. (Kasaï river 03° 02 ‘ S 16° 57 ‘ E);Koteli Democratic Republic of Congo: 2° 52’ N 24° 34’ E; Komi, Lodja, Democratic Republic of Congo: 3° 30’ S 23° 23’ E.
The systematic status of this species is questionable. Moreover only three specimens are presently available for study (Boden et al., l. c.: 1671).