Mormyrops (Mormyrops) parvus Boulenger, 1899
Species overview
Medium-sized fish, moderately elongate, moderately laterally compressed, head with a straight upper profile and a concave underside, snout rounded, slightly protruding mouth which is subterminal; unpaired fins quite different in length of base, pectoral fin obtusely pointed, caudal fin moderate; grey, countershaded. Size observed: 160.5 mm SL, 172 mm TL.
M. parvus(measurements)
Taxonomic description
-Body moderately elongate, moderately laterally compressed, cross section oblong-oval, body depth 14-15 % SL, greatest depth at about middle of trunk.
-Head length 22-23 % SL, head depth 10-12 % SL, 71-81 % body depth.
-Outline of back straight, parallel to outline of belly, upper profile of head straight, underside of head concave.
-Snout rounded, upper jaw much deeper than lower, 16-22 % head length, 23-30 % postorbital length.
-Mouth 8-12 % head length, subterminal, its edge extending to a level between the nostrils, edge of upper jaw on a level with upper edge base of pectoral fin.
-Chin with moderate submental swelling, lower jaw less deep than upper part of snout.
-Teeth notched, in closed lines, 10-12/10-12.
-Nostrils separate, circular, both on a level with lower rim of eye, their distance half the distance from eye, equal to distance from end of snout, their axis parallel to axis of snout.
-Eye small, its diameter 4-5 % head length, 5-7 % postorbital length.
-Opercular cleft curved. 20-23 % head length, 40-47 % head depth.
-Dorsal fin 19-22 fin-rays, base of D 17-20 % SL, anal fin 33-36 rays, base of A 31-32 % SL, origin of D well behind A, end of D well before end A; predorsal length 65-66 % SL, preanal length 57-59 % SL.
-Pectoral fin obtusely pointed, extending over 2/3 its distance from pelvic fin. V is slightly closer to P than to A.
-Caudal fin moderate, rounded, the scaled lobes covering 2/3 of the entire fin. 70-76 scales in lateral line, 12 round caudal peduncle.
-Caudal peduncle moderate, 9-11 % SL, its depth 4-5 % SL, 40-47 % its length.
-Coloration »Pale grey above, finely speckled with black, white beneath« countershaded.
Type locality
»Boma, Bas-Congo, parmi les herbes de la rive du fleuve« (5° 51 ‘ S 13° 03 ‘ E), Democratic Republic of Congo.
Distribution
Lower Congo basin.