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Electric catfish are found in tropical Africa and the Nile River. [3] Electric catfish are usually nocturnal and carnivorous. [ 2 ] Some species feed primarily on other fish, incapacitating their prey with electric discharges, [ 2 ] but others are generalist bottom foragers, feeding on things like invertebrates, fish eggs, and detritus . [ 4 ]
Malapterurus electricus is a thickset fish with six mouth barbels and a single fin on its back, just anterior to the rounded tail fin. It is brownish or grayish, irregularly spotted with black, and attains a length and weight of about 1.2 metres (3 ft 11 in) and 23 kilograms (51 lb) M. electricus is capable of generating and controlling the discharge of up to 450 volts of electricity.
Malapterurus beninensis is a species of electric catfish native to the African nations of Angola, Benin, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo. This species grows to a length of 22 cm (9 in) SL. [3] Its habitat is lowland marshes, rivers, and lakes.
Malapterurus species are generally found among rocks or roots in turbid or black waters with low visibility. They favor sluggish or standing water. [ 3] M. electricus is a voracious piscivore. It uses its electrical discharges to stun prey. It is an opportunistic feeder and will feed on any readily available prey in the habitat.
Electric organ discharges are two types, pulse and wave, and vary both by species and by function. Electric fish have evolved many specialised behaviours. The predatory African sharptooth catfish eavesdrops on its weakly electric mormyrid prey to locate it when hunting, driving the prey fish to develop electric signals that are harder to detect.
T. R. Roberts, 2000 [1] Synonyms. Malapterurus polli S. M. Norris, 2002[2] Malapterurus tanganyikaensis is a species of electric catfish native to Lake Tanganyika where it occurs in the bordering nations of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania and Zambia. This species grows to a length of 49.5 centimetres (19.5 in) SL.
M. tanoensis. Binomial name. Malapterurus tanoensis. T. R. Roberts, 2000 [1] Synonyms. Malapterurus murrayi S. M. Norris, 2002[2] Malapterurus tanoensis is a species of electric catfish native to Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana where it occurs in the Ofin and Tano Rivers. This species grows to a length of 26 centimetres (10 in) SL.
Malapterurus. Species: M. shirensis. Binomial name. Malapterurus shirensis. Roberts, 2000 [2] Malapterurus shirensis is a species of electric catfish native to the Zambezi River basin where it occurs in the countries of Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe. [1] [3] This species grows to a length of 37.2 centimetres (14.6 in) SL.