Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Osteoglossiformes (Bony tongues) >
Mormyridae (Elephantfishes)
Etymology: Marcusenius: Becasue of J. Marcusen, author of "Zur Phauna des Schwarzen Meeres", 1867; ichthyologist; kaninginii: Marcusenius kaninginii is dedicated to Professor Boniface Kaningini Mwenyimali, director of UERHA and rector of ISP/Bukavu; he supported in various ways the sampling expeditions of Tchalondawa Kisekelwa in the Lowa system (Ref. 113607).
Eponymy: Dr Johann Andreas Marcusen (1817–1894) was a Latvian of German descent who was a physician, ichthyologist and zoologist. [...] Professor Boniface Kaningini Mwenyimali is a Congolese fisheries biologist and limnologist who is Director of UERHA (Unité d’Enseignement et de Recherches en Hydrobiologie Appliquée) and rector of l’Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de Bukavu. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic; pH range: 7.0 - 7.0. Tropical; 22°C - 22°C (Ref. 113607)
Africa: middle Lowa River (Lualaba drainage, upper Congo River basin), in Democratic Republic of the Congo (Ref. 113607).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 15.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 113607)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 18 - 23; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 27 - 30; Vertebrae: 42 - 44. Diagnosis: Marcusenius kaninginii belongs to the group of Marcusenius species with eight large circumpeduncular scales (Ref. 113607). Within this group it can be distinguished from M. dundoensis, M. fuscus and M. sanagaensis by its lower number of lateral line scales, 43-47 vs. 49-61; it differs from M. ghesquierei and M. kutuensis by having fewer dorsal-fin rays, 18-23 vs. 27-34; and from M. schilthuisiae by fewer anal-fin rays, 27-30 vs. 32-35 (Ref. 113607). It is distinguished from M. intermedius by a higher number of lateral line scales, 43-47 vs. 38-43, and a higher total vertebrae number, 42-44 vs. 40-41; furthermore, it can be distinguished from M. intermedius by the terminal mouth position and the rounded shape of the snout vs. mouth sub-terminal and the snout pointed; it is distinguished from M. moorii by the blackish longitudinal band along the lateral line; the shallower body at the anterior base of the anal-fin depth, 25.0-28.4% of standard length vs. 28.1-33.5; the shorter pectoral fin, 15.5-19.1% of standard length vs. 17.7-22.8; and the deeper caudal peduncle, 39-57% of its length vs. 27-42 (Ref. 113607).
Found in shallow water, ±1-2 m), near the shores; it has been collected at stations with low water velocity, near roots of vegetation or dead wood and at places with foliage-shade (Ref. 113607).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Kisekelwa, T., G. Boden, J. Snoeks and E. Vreven, 2016. Marcusenius kaninginii, a new species of elephantfish from the Lowa River basin, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Osteoglossiformes: Mormyridae). Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwat. 26(4):341-352. (Ref. 113607)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00562 (0.00244 - 0.01296), b=3.05 (2.85 - 3.25), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.1 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
