Pollimyrus isidori
FAMILY
Mormyridae
TAXONOMY
Pollimyrus isidori Valenciennes, 1847, "Westafrika."
OTHER COMMON NAMES
None known.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Maximum length 3.94 in (10 cm). Broad, laterally compressed fish with long dorsal and anal fins located at the rear part of the body. Slightly subterminal mouth. Weakly electric organ found in the narrow caudal peduncle. Larval electric organ in the lateral muscle of larvae up to 1 in (25 mm) long. Body coloration uniform gray and black.
DISTRIBUTION
Nile River, Upper and Middle Niger, Chari, and Lagone River systems, including Lake Chad. Disjunctly distributed in the coastal rivers of West Africa between the Niger and the Sénégal.
HABITAT
Slow-moving water and back waters of rivers; lakes.
BEHAVIOR
Nocturnal and territorial. Males occupy territories of 3.3–9.8 sq ft (1–3 sq m). Pronounced acoustic signaling during courtship behavior.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Insect larvae, crustaceans, and small mollusks.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Reproduction occurs during the rainy season. Parental care in the male. Thirty to 200 eggs 0.1 in/2.5 mm in diameter are deposited in a nest of plant material. Free embryos and larvae are also guarded; exogenous feeding starts on days 13–14. Spawning intervals five to 20 days.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not listed by the IUCN.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Best-studied mormyrid fish in science concerning reproductive biology.
