Mormyrus longirostris Peters, 1852

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Habitat and Ecology:

Habitat and Ecology

Mormyrus longirostris is a demersal, potamodromous species that is found in caves and muddy areas, it also hides among weeds. It prefers quiet deep water with soft muddy bottoms and is rarely caught in marshy areas. In Lake Malawi this mormyrid is sufficiently common, and large, to be important as human food. It has been reported in Nkhata bay (L. Malawi) to be commonly caught in deep gill nets down to the limits of dissolved oxygen, and appears to prefer the deeper water where possible. It forms shoal (Bell-Cross and Minshull 1988) and feeds on insects and weeds but may also feed on small fishes (Konings 1990), blood worms, small crustaceans and molluscs (Bell-Cross and Minshull 1988). This species is active mainly at night. It breeds during the rainy season, moving upstream in rivers after flood spates have receded. The migrations appear to occur at irregular interval as this fish is not a powerful swimmer and would not be able to cope with very high water current (Bell-Cross and Minshull 1988). Females carry 10,000-70,000 eggs. It can give a mild shock when caught (Skelton 1993).

Systems

  • Freshwater
Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorInternational Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
Sourcehttp://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/182025

Environment:

demersal; potamodromous; freshwater

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorSusan M. Luna, FishBase
Sourcehttp://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=5386

Potamodromous. Migrating within streams, migratory in rivers, e.g. Saliminus, Moxostoma, Labeo. Migrations should be cyclical and predictable and cover more than 100 km.

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorSusan M. Luna, FishBase
Sourcehttp://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=5386

Found in caves and muddy areas, also hides among weeds. Forms shoal (Ref. 13337). Feeds on insects and weeds but may also feed on small fishes (Ref. 5595), blood worms, small crustaceans and molluscs (Ref. 13337).

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorDrina Sta. Iglesia, FishBase
SourceNo source database.

Known prey organisms:

Mormyrus longirostris (Mormyrus longirostris (mormyrid fish)) preys on:
Insecta
Diptera

Based on studies in:
Africa, Lake McIlwaine (Lake or pond)

This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.

  • B. E. Marshall, The fish of Lake McIlwaine. In Lake McIlwaine: the eutrophication and recovery of a tropical man-made lake (J. A. Thornton, Ed.) Vol 49 Monographia Biologicae, D. W. Junk Publishers, The Hague, pp. 156-188, from p. 180 (1982).
Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorCynthia Sims Parr, Joel Sachs, SPIRE
Sourcehttp://spire.umbc.edu/fwc/

Afrolernaea Infestation. Parasitic infestations (protozoa, worms, etc.)

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorAllan Palacio, FishBase
Sourcehttp://www.fishbase.org/Diseases/diseasesList.cfm?ID=5386&StockCode=5645

Statistics of barcoding coverage: Mormyrus longirostris:

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 0
Specimens with Barcodes: 3
Species With Barcodes: 1

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorSujeevan Ratnasingham, Paul D.N. Hebert, Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD)
Sourcehttp://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=203163

IUCN Red List Assessment:
Red List Category

LC
Least Concern

Red List Criteria

Version

3.1

Year Assessed

2010

Assessor/s

Bills, R., Getahun, A., Kazembe, J.,cMarshall, B. & Moelants, T.

Reviewer/s

Snoeks, J., Tweddle, D., Getahun, A., Laly, P., Paugy, D., Zaiss, R., Fishar, M.R.A & Brooks, E.

Contributor/s

Justification

Although there are threats known, this species has a wide distribution. It is therefore listed as Least Concern. It has also been assessed regionally as Least Concern for central, eastern and southern Africa. The Lake Victoria sub-population has declined significantly and may be threatened.
Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorInternational Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
Sourcehttp://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/182025

Biology:

Found in caves and muddy areas, also hides among weeds (Ref. 13337). Favours quiet deep water with a soft muddy bottom (Ref. 52193). Forms shoals (Ref. 13337, 52193). Feeds on weeds (Ref. 5595) and insects but may also feed on small fishes (Ref. 5595, 52193) and fish eggs (Ref. 52193), blood worms (Ref. 13337), small crustaceans and mollusks (Ref. 13337, 52193). Active mainly at night; breeds during the rainy season, moving upstream in rivers after flood spates have receded (Ref. 52193). Migrations appears to occur at irregular interval as this fish is not a powerful swimmer and would not be able to cope with very high water current (Ref. 13337). Females carry 10,000-70,000 eggs; can give a mild shock when caught (Ref. 7248, 52193).

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorSusan M. Luna, FishBase
Sourcehttp://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=5386

Population:

Population

Little information available but a rare species in fisheries catches.

Population Trend

Unknown
Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorInternational Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
Sourcehttp://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/182025
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith