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Graham's stonebasher (Hippopotamyrus grahami) — Mormyridae

Graham's stonebasher

Hippopotamyrus grahami
Family: Mormyridae

The Graham's stonebasher (Hippopotamyrus grahami) is a fish of the family Mormyridae that grows up to 16 cm.

Length
16 cm
Diet
Carnivore
Behaviour
Small groups
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom
Danger
Harmless
Edibility
Rarely eaten

Description

Graham's stonebasher is an elephantfish (Mormyridae) from the fresh waters of East Africa. The species has a stocky, laterally compressed, silvery-grey body with a short, blunt head. Like all elephantfishes it generates a weak electric field with an organ in the tail base to navigate in turbid water, locate prey and communicate with conspecifics. It inhabits rivers and lakes and searches the bottom with its sensitive snout for insect larvae and small invertebrates. The species is harmless to humans.

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Graham's stonebasher?

The Graham's stonebasher is mainly silver-grey and shows a plain pattern.

Where does the Graham's stonebasher live?

The Graham's stonebasher is mostly found around sand or mud bottom.

How big does the Graham's stonebasher get?

The Graham's stonebasher grows to a maximum of about 16 cm.

Is the Graham's stonebasher dangerous to humans?

No, the Graham's stonebasher is harmless to humans.

Is the Graham's stonebasher edible?

The Graham's stonebasher is rarely eaten.

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All data

Identification

Dutch name
Grahams olifantsvis sourced
English name
Graham's stonebasher sourced
Scientific name
Hippopotamyrus grahami
Family
Mormyridae

Appearance

Size class
Medium verified
Max length (cm)
16.0 sourced
Dominant colour
Silver / grey inferred
Pattern
Plain inferred
Tail shape
Forked inferred
Mouth position
Terminal inferred
Lips
Thick / fleshy inferred
Barbels
No sourced
Dorsal fins
One continuous inferred
Dorsal spines
No sourced

Habitat & distribution

Substrate
Sand / mud bottom sourced
Origin
Native sourced

Behaviour & biology

Diet
Carnivore sourced
Social behaviour
Small groups inferred
Territorial
No inferred
Reproduction
Separate sexes sourced
Sexual dimorphism
No inferred

For anglers

Edibility
Rarely eaten sourced
Fishing method
Bodemvissen met natuurlijk aas (worm, garnaal of vis) op of vlak boven de bodem. inferred
Regulations source
FishBase ↗ inferred

Safety

Danger to humans
Harmless sourced

Status & sources

Sources
FishBase via GBIF (DwC-A), CC-BY-NC 4.0

Same genus Hippopotamyrus

More from the family Mormyridae

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