Petrocephalus pellegrini Poll, 1941
Species overview
Very small fish, body moderately elongate and deep, head about as long as depth of body or slightly less; snout shorter than diameter of eye; mouth inferior. Head with three aggregations, »rosettes«, of cutaneous sensory organs. Caudal peduncle rather deep. Uniform dark brown, without particular markings. Size observed: 92 mm SL.
P. pellegrini(measurements)
Taxonomic description
-Body moderately elongate and deep, strongly laterally compressed, depth of body 27-33 % SL, greatest depth more or less above pelvic fin. Length of head 27-31 % SL; depth of head 23-29 % SL, 80-96 % depth of body.
-Outlines of back and of belly slightly curved, profile of head more or less parabolic; bases of unpaired fins running moderately steep to caudal peduncle.
-Snout short, 14-19 % length of head, 23-31 % postorbital length.
-Mouth 15-25 % length of head, inferior, its edge below centre of eye, upper jaw on a level with lower edge of base of pectoral fin.
-Chin inconspicuous.
-Teeth notched, 6-12/12-17.
-Nostrils closely together, anterior rather circular, posterior upright-oval, on a level slightly above lower rim of eye.
-Eye diameter 19-25 % length of head, 30-46 % postorbital length. Three rosettes, aggregations of electrorecpetors, on the head.
-Opercular cleft curved, its posterior margin above base of pectoral fin, 31-42 % length of head, 32-52 % depth of head.
-Dorsal fin 16-26 fin-rays, base of D 17-21 % SL, anal fin 26-31 rays, base of A 23-27 % SL, origin of D posterior to origin of A, end of D well anterior to end of A; predorsal length 61-68 % SL, preanal length 57-62 % SL.
-Pectoral fin pointed, extending over 3/4 the length of pelvic fin. V is quite closer to P than to A.
-Caudal fin pointed, scaled part short, about 1/4 of its length. 37-43 scales in lateral line; 12 round caudal peduncle.
-Caudal peduncle 17-22 % SL, its depth 7-8 % SL, 33-45 % its length.
-Coloration Uniform dark brown.
Type locality
»Confluent de la petite rivière Masei (4 m de largeur environ) et de la rivière Bon de Boan (15 m de largeur environ à cet endroit) qui est un affluent du fleuve Nuon (frontière Libéria-Côte d’ Ivoire.)«
Distribution
»Coastal basins between Sierra-Leone et le Sassandra (Ivory Coast). It seems to be present also in the Niandan (affluent of the Upper Niger in Guinea)«. (Mouth of Sassandra river 4° 58’ N 6° 05’ W, Niandan river 10° 35’ N 9° 45 ‘ W)