Mormyrus rume Valenciennes, 1847
Mormyrids
Mormyrus rume
photo by Laleye, P.

Family:  Mormyridae (Elephantfishes)
Max. size:  100 cm SL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 5,300.0 g; max. reported age: 6 years
Environment:  demersal; freshwater, potamodromous
Distribution:  Africa: Gambia, Senegal, Niger, Volta and Chad basins. Sahelo-Soudanian basins and the coastal basins of the rivers Cavally, Bandama, Sassandra, Comoé, Mono, Ouémé, Ogun and Culufi; Congo basin. Two subspecies exist: Mormyrus rume rume: West Africa and Chad System; Mormyrus rume proboscirostris: middle and upper Congo River.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 72-95; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 16-21. Anal fin base 4.6-6.5x that of dorsal fin; 20-26 scales on caudal peduncle; body height 3.5-6.1x SL; height of caudal peduncle 1.3-3.0x of its length.
Biology:  Affinities: look-alike of M. subundulatus and M. tapirus. Feeds on insects and larvae (Ref.13851). Generates electric organ discharge (EOD) of long duration that seems to correlate with territorial behavior of the species (Ref. 10460; 10601).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 04 June 2019 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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