Marcusenius moorii (Günther, 1867)
Species overview
Medium-sized fish, body moderately elongate, moderately deep, head uneven blunt-snouted, mouth terminal, caudal peduncle slim; scales rather large; a dark band between origin of unpaired fins, sometimes two such bands. Size observed: 241 mm SL, 277 mm TL.
M. moorii(measurements)1
M. moorii(measurements)2
M. moorii(measurements)3
Taxonomic description
-Body moderately elongate, laterally compressed, moderately deep, oblong-oval, body depth 22-34 % SL, greatest depth near anal fin.
-Head length 20-31 % SL, head depth 16-27 % SL, 66-84 % body depth.
-Outline of back more or less straight, upper profile of head convex, underside of head slightly concave, outline of belly slightly convex.
-Snout obtusely pointed, 15-28 % head length, 23-48 % postorbital length.
-Mouth terminal, 11-42 % % head length, its edge between the nostrils, even reaching to posterior nostril, upper jaw on a level with lower rim of eye.
-Chin with moderate globular swelling.
-Teeth deeply notched, 3-5/5-6.
-Nostrils separate, circular, equally distant from rim of eye and from outline of snout, closer to each other than from eye; anterior nostril on a level with upper rim of eye, posterior nostril above lower rim; their axis cutting the axis of the head at an angle of about 45°.
-Eye diameter 8-20 % head length, 13-32 % postorbital length.
-Opercular cleft curved, 29-52 % head length.
-Dorsal fin 19-25 fin-rays, base of D 16-24 % SL, anal fin 24-33 rays, base of A 21-30 % SL, origin of D behind origin of A, end of D before end of A; predorsal length 56-69 % SL, preanal length 53-63 % SL.
-Pectoral fin pointed, extending to middle of pelvic fin or slightly beyond. V is closer to P than to A.
-Caudal fin pointed, scaled lobes obtusely pointed, 1/2 as long as entire fin. 37-54 scales in lateral line; 8 round caudal peduncle.
-Caudal peduncle 14-27 % SL, its depth 5-7 % SL, 26-43 % its length. (in smaller specimens more slender than in mature ones, as usual in the family mormyridae).
-Coloration Brown, head and a small spot on root of the caudal fin may be blackish, sometimes a blackish band between origins of unpaired fins, covering two lateral line scales, occasionally another dark band between ends of D and A.
Type locality
M. moorii »River Ogowe«, Gabon,
M. lepturus »Gabon«,
M. grandisquamis »Ogowe« (Mouth of Ogowe river 00° 49 ‘ S 09° 00 ‘ E)
M. lambouri: »riv. Alima à Diélé et Lékéti« (Alima river: 01° 36 ‘ S 16° 36 ‘ E; Lékéti: 01° 36 ‘ S 14°57 ‘ E).
M. moorii longulus: »Bumba et Kunungu«, Democratic Republic of Congo (Bumba: 02° 11 ‘ S 22° 28 ‘ E).
M. paucisquamatus: »Ebogo, rivière Nyong, Cameroon« (03° 23’ N 11° 28 ‘ E)
Distribution
Ogowe, Kouilou-Niari and Congo Rivers.
M. lambouri: »riv. Alima à Diélé et Lékéti« (Alima river: 01° 36 ‘ S 16° 36 ‘ E; Lékéti: 01° 36 ‘ S 14°57 ‘ E).
M. moorii longulus: »Bumba et Kunungu«, Democratic Republic of Congo (Bumba: 02° 11 ‘ S 22° 28 ‘ E).
M. paucisquamatus: »Nyong River, Cameroon, Ivindo River and tributaries, Gabon«.
Electric organ discharges
M. moorii(elec. organ)