electric catfish

Thesaurus

Noun

electric catfish - freshwater catfish of the Nile and tropical central Africa having an electric organMalopterurus electricussilurid, silurid fish - Old World freshwater catfishes having naked skin and a long anal fin more or less merged with the eellike caudal fingenus Malopterurus, Malopterurus - electric catfish

Electric Catfish

(Molapterurus electricus), a fish of the suborder Siluroidea. The fish measures 20 cm to 65 cm in length, sometimes reaching 1 m. It lacks a dorsal fin but has an adipose fin. The ventral fins are located in the middle of the body; the pectoral fins are without spines. There are three pairs of whiskers. The eyes are small and glow in the dark. The gill slits are very narrow and the palatine teeth are absent. The fish are equipped with electric organs.

The electric catfish, a slow-moving fish, is omnivorous. Its reproductive process has not been studied thoroughly. The fish inhabits the Nile and certain other rivers in tropical Africa and is also bred in aquariums. The flesh of the electric catfish is edible.

REFERENCE

Zhizn’zhivotnykh, vol. 4, part 1. Moscow, 1971.

electric catfish

Electric Catfish