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Osteoglossiformes (Bony tongues) >
Mormyridae (Elephantfishes)
Etymology: Petrocephalus: Latin, petra = stone + Greek, kephale = head (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Lacepède.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal; potamodromous (Ref. 51243). Tropical
Africa: Nile basin, also from the Bénoué, Chad and Volta River (Ref. 2915).
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 11.0  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 20.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 31256); max. published weight: 40.00 g (Ref. 3799)
Short description
Morphology | Morphometrics
Inhabits open water and vegetated areas of lakes, lagoons and irrigation canals. Females grow larger and are more frequently caught than males. Chiefly insectivorous, feeding on the bottom and in vegetation (Ref. 28714). Affinities: P. ansorgii, differ only by the small eyes, the thick caudal peduncle, numerous teeth on lower jaw and the uniform silvery color (P. ansorgii has a spot on the dorsal fin).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Gosse, J.-P., 1984. Mormyridae. p. 63-122. In J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). ORSTOM, Paris and MRAC, Tervuren. Vol. 1. (Ref. 3203)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 125652)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: ; aquarium: commercial
More information
Age/SizeGrowthLength-weightLength-lengthLength-frequenciesMorphometricsMorphologyLarvaeLarval dynamicsRecruitmentAbundanceBRUVS
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingNutrientsMass conversion
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82805): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01479 (0.00772 - 0.02833), b=2.86 (2.70 - 3.02), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for species & Genus-BS (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.2 ±0.40 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (14 of 100) .
Climate Vulnerability (Ref.
125649): (0 of 100) .