Mormyrops

Mormyrops is a genus with 22 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Arowanas & Oddballs section, recorded from Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cameroon and 24 more countries. Adult sizes run from 4.5 in to 59 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
22
Adult sizes
4.5–59 in
IUCN assessed
22 of 22
Recorded from
27 countries

About the genus

Mormyrops is a genus of African mormyrids — the weakly electric "elephantfishes" — distributed across river systems of central and equatorial Africa, with atlas records spanning the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Angola, the Central African Republic, Gabon, Ethiopia and Somalia. Like other mormyrids, they carry an electric organ near the tail that generates a weak field used for electrolocation and communication in dark or turbid water, an elongate body, and — as in the family generally — a brain-to-body mass ratio unusually large for a fish, comparable to some birds and mammals, driven by the neural processing electroreception demands. Unlike the short-snouted "elephantnose" mormyrids, most Mormyrops have a comparatively blunt, unadorned head rather than a trunk-like chin organ.

The genus spans an enormous size range for a single group of mormyrids, from modestly sized stream species up to the Cornish jack, M. anguilloides, which can reach around 59 in and ranks among the largest mormyrids known. Mormyrops are mostly nocturnal, poor-sighted, and navigate largely by electric sense, which makes them fascinating research subjects but demanding, specialist aquarium fish — few outlets stock them, and the trade that exists is built around size, electrogenic sensitivity to tank equipment and territorial behaviour rather than mass appeal. Most assessed species are Least Concern, with a handful Data Deficient, suggesting the genus is not under acute pressure but is also not thoroughly surveyed.

IUCN Red List: Least Concern · 15 Data Deficient · 5 Not Evaluated · 2

The 22 species

Every Mormyrops recorded in this atlas. Each card links to a full researched profile — distribution, water parameters, and aquarium care, cited to primary sources.

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Cornish jack, African elephantnose

59 in TL · LC

Boulenger, 1898

8.5 in TL · LC

Boulenger, 1909

Bumba mormyrid

11 in TL · DD

Pellegrin, 1900

Trumpet-nose mormyrid

10 in TL · LC

Steindachner, 1894

Liberian elephantfish

25.5 in TL · LC

Pellegrin, 1927

18 in SL · LC

Vinciguerra, 1912

14 in SL · NE

Boulenger, 1899

Boma mormyrid, elephantfish

15.5 in TL · LC

Roman, 1966

Elephantnose, Curved-head mormyrid

17 in TL · NE

Boulenger, 1898

Engystoma bottlenose mormyrid, Matadi mormyrid

5.5 in TL · LC

Pellegrin, 1900

12.5 in TL · LC

Vinciguerra, 1928

7 in TL · DD

Boulenger, 1898

elephantfish

15.5 in TL · LC

(Schilthuis, 1891)

6.5 in TL · LC

Boulenger, 1898

16 in TL · LC

Boulenger, 1898

New Antwerp mormyrid

6.5 in TL · DD

Boulenger, 1899

13.5 in TL · LC

Daget, 1954

4.5 in SL · DD

Boulenger, 1899

6.5 in TL · DD

Boulenger, 1898

25 in TL · LC

Boulenger, 1900

10 in TL · LC

(Günther, 1867)

Pool elephantfish

10.5 in TL · LC

Explore further

How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Mormyrops. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/mormyrops/

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