@article {672, title = {Review of the southern African slender stonebashers, genus Heteromormyrus Steindachner 1866 (Teleostei: Mormyridae), with description of six new species}, journal = {Journal of Fish Biology}, volume = {108}, year = {2025}, month = {Sep-17-2025}, abstract = {

Recent molecular studies have advanced our knowledge of the taxonomic diversity and generic placement of the slender stonebashers, previously placed in the genus Hippopotamyrus, in southern Africa. These fishes were recently transferred to the genus Heteromormyrus whose range encompasses the Kwanza, Kunene, Okavango, Zambezi, Pungwe and Buzi River systems in southern Africa, as well as the southern tributaries of the Congo River system. The present study builds on previous research that identified at least eight candidate species within the Heteromormyrus ansorgii species complex by providing formal descriptions for six new species and redescriptions of Heteromormyrus pauciradiatus and H. ansorgii s.s. The Kwanza River system is peculiar because it currently has five known species in this genus, some of which are co-distributed, whereas the other river systems have only one or two species in this genus. Two of the new species, Heteromormyrus dolichorhynchus sp. nov. and Heteromormyrus angusticaudata sp. nov., are endemic to the Kwanza River system. Heteromormyrus xanekweorum sp. nov. is confined to the Okavango River system, Heteromormyrus chilembwei sp. nov. occurs in the Ruo River (lower Zambezi River system), Heteromormyrus tangwenai sp. nov. is endemic to the Pungwe River system and Heteromormyrus ndauorum sp. nov. is endemic to the Buzi River system. Species in this genus exhibit high morphological similarity, but they can be separated by a combination of characters, including scale counts, dorsal- and anal-fin ray counts, vertebral counts, caudal peduncle depth, position of nostrils, head shape and variation in colour pattern. Taxonomic diversity within this genus is likely to be higher than currently known, and future studies, particularly in the Kwanza and upper Zambezi rivers, are anticipated to uncover additional new species.

}, keywords = {Diversity, freshwater, mormyrids, southern Africa, Taxonomy}, issn = {0022-1112, 1095-8649}, doi = {10.1111/jfb.70191}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.70191}, author = {Mutizwa, Tadiwa I. and Kadye, Wilbert T. and Bragan{\c c}a, Pedro H. N. and Chakona, Albert} } @article {10.3897/zookeys.1129.90287, title = {Mitogenome recovered from a 19th Century holotype by shotgun sequencing supplies a generic name for an orphaned clade of African weakly electric fishes (Osteoglossomorpha, Mormyridae)}, journal = {ZooKeys}, volume = {1129}, year = {2022}, pages = {163-196}, publisher = {Pensoft Publishers}, abstract = {

Heteromormyrus Steindachner, 1866, a genus of Mormyridae (Teleostei: Osteoglossomorpha), has been monotypic since the description of Heteromormyrus pauciradiatus (Steindacher, 1866) from a single specimen. No type locality other than \“Angola\” was given and almost no specimens have been subsequently identified to this species. In order to investigate the relationship of this taxon to fresh specimens collected in Angola and elsewhere, whole genome paired-end sequencing of DNA extracted from the holotype specimen of Heteromormyrus pauciradiatus was performed and a nearly complete mitogenome assembled from the sequences obtained. Comparison of cytochrome oxidase I and cytochrome b sequences from this mitogenome to sequences from recently collected material reveal that Heteromormyrus pauciradiatus is closely related to specimens identified as Hippopotamyrus ansorgii (Boulenger, 1905), Hippopotamyrus szaboi Kramer, van der Bank \& Wink, 2004, Hippopotamyrus longilateralis Kramer \& Swartz, 2010, as well as to several undescribed forms from subequatorial Africa collectively referred to in the literature as the \“Hippopotamyrus ansorgii species complex\” and colloquially known as \“slender stonebashers.\” Previous molecular phylogenetic work has shown that these species are not close relatives of Hippopotamyrus castor Pappenheim, 1906, the type species of genus Hippopotamyrus Pappenheim, 1906 from Cameroon, and are thus misclassified. Hippopotamyrus ansorgii species complex taxa and another species shown to have been misclassified, Paramormyrops tavernei (Poll, 1972), are placed in genus Heteromormyrus and one genetic lineage from the Kwanza and Lucala rivers of Angola are identified as conspecific Heteromormyrus pauciradiatus. Three additional new combinations and a synonymy in Mormyridae are introduced. The morphological characteristics and geographical distribution of the genus Heteromormyrus are reviewed. The electric organ discharges (EODs) of Heteromormyrus species are to be treated in a separate study.

}, keywords = {Angolan freshwater fishes, Heteromormyrus, Hippopotamyrus, historical DNA, mitogenomics, mormyrid, museomics, slender stonebasher}, issn = {1313-2989}, doi = {10.3897/zookeys.1129.90287}, url = {https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1129.90287}, author = {John P Sullivan and Carl D Hopkins and Stacy Pirro and Rose Peterson and Albert Chakona and Tadiwa I. Mutizwa and Christian Mukweze Mulelenu and Fahad H. Alqahtani and Emmanuel Vreven and Casey B. Dillman} } @article {391, title = {Ichthyologische Mittheilungen. (IX.)}, journal = {Verhandlungen der K.-K. zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien}, volume = {16}, year = {1866}, pages = {761-796, Pls. 13-18}, url = {http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/86028$\#$page/937/mode/1up}, author = {Steindachner, F.} } @article {432, title = {On a large collection of fishes made by Dr. W. J. Ansorge in the Quanza and Bengo rivers, Angola}, journal = {Annals and Magazine of Natural History}, volume = {6}, number = {36}, year = {1910}, pages = {537-561}, keywords = {Angola}, url = {https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15629315}, author = {George A. Boulenger} } @inbook {121, title = {Catalogue of the Fresh-Water Fishes of Africa in the British Museum (Natural History)}, booktitle = {Catalogue of the Fresh-Water Fishes of Africa in the British Museum (Natural History)}, volume = {I}, year = {1909}, pages = {29-145}, publisher = {British Museum (Natural History)}, organization = {British Museum (Natural History)}, address = {London}, url = {https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/37889609}, author = {George A. Boulenger} } @article {608, title = {A revision of the genera and species of fishes of the family Mormyridae}, journal = {Proceedings of the General Meetings for Scientific Business of the Zoological Society of London}, volume = {1898}, number = {Part 4}, year = {1899}, pages = {775-821}, url = {http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/97095$\#$page/919/mode/1up}, author = {George A. Boulenger} } @book {159, title = {The Mormyridae and other Osteoglossomorpha (CD-ROM)}, series = {World Biodiversity Database, CD-ROM Series}, volume = {2000}, year = {2000}, publisher = {Springer Verlag, ETI-UNESCO}, organization = {Springer Verlag, ETI-UNESCO}, address = {New York}, issn = {Hyb: 3-540-14811-6}, url = {https://www.amazon.com/Mormyridae-Osteoglossomorpha-Biodiversity-Database-CD-ROM/dp/3540148116}, author = {Harder, W.} }