Notes on the electric organ discharges (EODs) of four Mormyrus-species (Osteoglossomorpha: Mormyridae) from the Nilo-Sahelo-Sudan ichthyofaunal province of Africa

Field studies on the electric organ discharges (EODs) of Mormyrus species are rare, likely due to their biology hindering live capture in large numbers. Here the EODs of four Nilo-Sahelo-Sudanic species, Mormyrus caschive Linnaeus, 1758, M. kannume Forsskål, 1775, M. hasselquistii Valenciennes, 1847 and M. rume Valenciennes,1847, are compared and discussed. Their discharges are largely equal to each other, mainly showing differences in length and peak of Fourier transformation with less pronounced differences in the relative amplitude of phases within an EOD. The discharge properties allow species discrimination, at least within eco-regions, and thus likely play a role in species recognition.