Mormyrops (Mormyrops) mariae Schilthuis, 1891
Species overview
Large fish, body elongate, moderately compressed, low; head conical, moderately tapering, upper profile more or less straight, underside concave, snout rounded, feebly protruding, mouth slightly subterminal; end of body tapering, caudal fin small, caudal peduncle short; pale purplish. Size observed: 375 mm SL.
M. mariae(measurements)
Taxonomic description
-Body elongate, moderately laterally compressed, body depth low, 14-18 % SL, greatest depth at about middle of the trunk.
-Head length 21-28 % SL, head depth 10-14 % SL, 70-100 % body depth.
-Outline of back straight, parallel to outline of belly, upper profile of head more or less straight, underside of head concave.
-Snout rounded, feebly protruding mouth, upper part of snout twice as deep as lower jaw, 18-22 % head length, 24-29 % postorbital length.
-Mouth 12-18 % head length, slightly subterminal, its edge below posterior nostril, edge of upper jaw on a level with lower edge of opercular cleft.
-Chin with moderate submental swelling.
-Teeth truncate, in closed lines, 14-20/14-20.
-Nostrils separate, posterior nostril oval, both on a level with centre of eye, their axis running parallel to axis of head.
-Eye diameter 4-11 % head length, 5-14 % postorbital length.
-Opercular cleft rather straight, 27-34 % head length, 56-61 % head depth.
-Dorsal fin 34-39 fin-rays, base of D 27-33 % SL, anal fin 47-59 rays, base of A 37-43 % SL, origin of D well behind A, end of D well before end A; predorsal length 62-67 % SL, preanal length 54-60 % SL.
-Pectoral fin rounded, extending to about half its distance from pelvic fin. V is closer to P than to A.
-Caudal fin small, rounded, the scaled lobes extending to about 2/3 of the entire fin. 100-106 scales in lateral line; 22-24 round caudal peduncle.
-Caudal peduncle 3-6 % SL, its depth 3-7 % SL, 73-100 % its length.
-Coloration »Pale purplish, uniform, or finely speckled with brown«.
Type locality
»Kinshasa, Stanley Pool« (to day Pool Malebo, 4° 02 ‘ S 16° 03 ‘ E) Democratic Republic of Congo.
Distribution
Middle Congo basin.