Gnathonemus petersii (Günther, 1862)

Elephantnose fish

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Osteoglossiformes \| Mormyridae
Synonyms	Mormyrus petersii, Gnathonemus brevicaudatus, Gnathonemus histrio, ... more
Common names	Elephant nose, Spitzbartfisch, Mustanorsukala, ... more

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Image of Gnathonemus petersii (Elephantnose fish)

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Main reference

Gosse, J.-P. 1984. (Ref. 3203)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 35.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2915)

Environment

Demersal; freshwater; pH range: 6.0 - 8.0; dH range: 5 - 19

Climate / Range

Tropical; 22°C - 28°C (Ref. 1672)

Africa: Niger to Congo River basins. Limited to the Lower Niger, in the Ogun, in the Cross River Basin and in the upper Chari.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 25 - 31; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 32 - 36

Occurs close to the bottom where it probes for food with the long snout. Territorial and usually aggressive towards members of its own species. This behavior has been shown to involve electric organ discharge (EOD) activity (Ref. 10011). Feeds mostly at night on worms and insects (Ref. 7020), probably aided by electro-sensory inputs (Ref. 10011). Electroreceptors are distributed over the entire head, the dorsal and ventral regions of the body, but absent from the side and the caudal peduncle where the electric organ is located (Ref. 10011). Sex-related EOD characteristics in this species has been demonstrated in the laboratory with freshly imported samples during the breeding season; such EOD dimorphism changed with time in captivity (Ref. 10764; 10766). Lead nitrate in water significantly increased EOD rate and selectively altered the EOD waveform of this species (Ref. 10469). Dubbed a `hearing specialist' having auditory abilities in the range of 100-2500 Hz, with `best frequencies' between 300 and 600 Hz (Ref. 10830). Aquarium keeping: in groups of 5 or more individuals; minimum aquarium size 150 cm; not recommended for home aquariums (Ref. 51539).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Not Evaluated	Harmless

Human uses
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries; aquarium: commercial


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

Tools
Biogeographic modelling \| Bio-Quiz \| E-book \| Field guide \| Identification keys \| Length-frequency wizard \| Life-history tool \| Point map

Special reports
Check for Aquarium maintenance \| Check for Species Fact Sheets \| Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page \| Point data \| Common names \| Photos

Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
Moderate vulnerability (38 of 100)	Not marketed/unknown

Entered by Luna, Susan M.

Modified by Binohlan, Crispina B.

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Page last modified by : elaxamana, 15 July 2009

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