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Merona elephantfish (Marcusenius meronai) — Mormyridae

Merona elephantfish

Marcusenius meronai
Family: Mormyridae

The Merona elephantfish (Marcusenius meronai) is a freshwater fish of the family Mormyridae that grows up to 19 cm.

Length
18.7 cm
Water
Freshwater
Diet
Carnivore
Activity
Nocturnal
Body shape
Torpedo-shaped
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom
Danger
Harmless

Description

The Merona elephantfish is a weakly electric elephantfish (Mormyridae) from fresh water of rivers in Africa. The species grows to about 15 cm and has an elongate, laterally compressed, grey body with a small, downward-pointing mouth and a short chin lobe. With a weak electric organ in the tail it explores turbid water and communicates with conspecifics; the current cannot be felt by humans. As a nocturnal bottom-dweller it searches for insect larvae and small invertebrates. The fish is harmless to humans.

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Merona elephantfish?

The Merona elephantfish has a torpedo-shaped body and is mainly silver-grey.

Where does the Merona elephantfish live?

The Merona elephantfish lives in fresh water and is mostly found around sand or mud bottom.

How big does the Merona elephantfish get?

The Merona elephantfish grows to a maximum of about 19 cm.

Is the Merona elephantfish dangerous to humans?

No, the Merona elephantfish is harmless to humans.

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All data

Identification

Dutch name
Merona-olifantsvis sourced
English name
Merona elephantfish sourced
Scientific name
Marcusenius meronai
Family
Mormyridae

Appearance

Size class
Medium verified
Max length (cm)
18.7 verified
Body shape
Torpedo-shaped sourced
Dominant colour
Silver / grey sourced
Tail shape
Forked inferred
Mouth position
Inferior (downward) sourced

Habitat & distribution

Water type
Freshwater sourced
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom sourced
Origin
Native inferred

Behaviour & biology

Diet
Carnivore inferred
Territorial
No inferred
Activity
Nocturnal sourced
Reproduction
Separate sexes inferred
Sexual dimorphism
No inferred

For anglers

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 verified

Status & sources

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

Same genus Marcusenius

More from the family Mormyridae

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