Mormyrops (Mormyrops) citernii Vinciguerra, 1913
Species overview
Large fish, body much elongate, quite low, head as well as snout relatively long, horse-like, mouth terminal; dorsal fin extremely short, caudal peduncle long and deep. Size observed: 382 mm SL, 408 mm TL.
M. citernii(measurements)
Taxonomic description
-Body slender, moderately laterally compressed, cross section oblong oval, body depth 12 % SL, greatest depth in anterior half of body.
-Head length 24 % SL, head depth 11.8 % SL, 98 % body depth.
-Outlines of back and belly more or less straight, upper profile of head strongly concave, reminding a pike; underside of head concave.
-Snout low, long, with rounded end, not protruding mouth, 24 % head length, 33 % postorbital length.
-Mouth small, terminal, its edge below posterior nostril, (no data available), upper jaw on a level with upper edge base of pectoral fin.
-Chin with moderate submental swelling, lower jaw about as deep as upper part of snout.
-Teeth truncate, 22/22.
-Nostrils separate, circular, posterior on a level with lower margin of eye, anterior above it, their axis running at an angle of about 45° to axis of snout, distance between nostrils about 1/4 the distance posterior nostril to eye, but equal to distance anterior to nostrils outline of head.
-Eye small, its diameter 8 % head length, 10 % postorbital length.
-Opercular cleft curved (no measurements).
-Dorsal fin 10 fin-rays, base of D 12 % SL, anal fin 36 rays, base of A 22 % SL, origin of D well behind origin of A, end of D well before end of A; predorsal length 70 % SL, preanal length 65 % SL.
-Pectoral fin rounded, extending over 2/3 the distance between pectoral and pelvic fin. V is slightly closer to P than to A.
-Caudal fin rounded, the scaled lobes extending over 4/5 of the entire fin. Number of scales in lateral line not indicated; 16 round caudal peduncle.
-Caudal peduncle rather long, 16 % SL, its depth 6 % SL, 35 % its length.
-Coloration Greenish-grey, slightly darker on the back (countershaded).
Type locality
»?dell’ alto Ganale, Etiope«, (Dolo: 4° 14 ‘ N 42° 05 ‘ E) Ethiopia.
Distribution
Ganale - Genale River, Juba River system, Ethiopia - Somalia.