''Mormyrops'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
weakly electric fish
An electric fish is any fish that can Bioelectrogenesis, generate electric fields, whether to sense things around them, for defence, or to stun prey. Most fish able to produce shocks are also electroreceptive, meaning that they can sense electric ...
in the family
Mormyridae
The Mormyridae, sometimes called "elephantfish" (more properly freshwater elephantfish), are a superfamily of weakly electric fish in the order Osteoglossiformes native to Africa. It is by far the largest family in the order, with around 200 sp ...
from freshwater in Africa. They are characterized by an elongate
head
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...
measuring twice as long as high, and no
teeth
A tooth (: teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, tear ...
on the
palate
The palate () is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity.
A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly sep ...
or the
tongue
The tongue is a Muscle, muscular organ (anatomy), organ in the mouth of a typical tetrapod. It manipulates food for chewing and swallowing as part of the digestive system, digestive process, and is the primary organ of taste. The tongue's upper s ...
.
The genus includes the largest member of the mormyrid family, the cornish jack (''Mormyrops anguilloides'') at up to in length.
Taxonomy and species
According to
FishBase
FishBase is a global species database of fish species (specifically finfish). It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web. , there are currently 21 recognized species in this genus.
* ''
Mormyrops anguilloides''
(Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...
, 1758) (Cornish jack)
* ''
Mormyrops attenuatus''
Boulenger, 1898 (Upoto mormyrid)
* ''
Mormyrops batesianus''
Boulenger, 1909 (Bumba mormyrid)
* ''
Mormyrops breviceps''
Steindachner
Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner descri ...
, 1894 (Liberian elephantfish)
* ''
Mormyrops caballus''
Pellegrin, 1927 (Sanaga mormyrid)
* ''
Mormyrops citernii''
Vinciguerra, 1912 (Genale mormyrid)
* ''
Mormyrops curtus''
Boulenger, 1899 (Boma mormyrid)
* ''
Mormyrops curviceps''
Román, 1966 (Bougouriba mormyrid)
* ''
Mormyrops engystoma''
Boulenger, 1898 (Matadi mormyrid)
* ''
Mormyrops furcidens''
Pellegrin, 1900 (Alima mormyrid)
* ''
Mormyrops intermedius
''Mormyrops'' is a genus of weakly electric fish in the family Mormyridae from freshwater in Africa. They are characterized by an elongate head measuring twice as long as high, and no teeth on the palate or the tongue. The genus includes the larg ...
''
Vinciguerra, 1928 (Rubi mormyrid)
* ''
Mormyrops lineolatus''
Boulenger, 1898
* ''
Mormyrops mariae''
( Schilthuis, 1891) (Kinshasa mormyrid)
* ''
Mormyrops masuianus''
Boulenger, 1898
* ''
Mormyrops microstoma''
Boulenger, 1898 (New Antwerp mormyrid)
* ''
Mormyrops nigricans''
Boulenger, 1899 (Kutu mormyrid)
* ''
Mormyrops oudoti''
Daget 1954 (Bamako mormyrid)
* ''
Mormyrops parvus''
Boulenger, 1899 (parvus mormyrid)
* ''
Mormyrops sirenoides''
Boulenger, 1898 (sirenoides mormyrid)
* ''
Mormyrops zanclirostris''
( Günther, 1867)
References
Mormyridae
Ray-finned fish genera
{{Osteoglossiformes-stub