Pollimyrus

Pollimyrus is a genus with 20 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Arowanas & Oddballs section, recorded from Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon and 10 more countries. Adult sizes run from 2 in to 6 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
20
Adult sizes
2–6 in
IUCN assessed
20 of 20
Recorded from
13 countries

About the genus

Pollimyrus is a genus of small African weakly-electric fish in the elephantfish family Mormyridae, distributed across sub-Saharan Africa; the atlas draws records from Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Namibia, Botswana, Egypt, and Guinea. Unlike the long-snouted elephantnose fishes most people picture when they hear mormyrid, Pollimyrus species tend toward a blunter, more rounded head and a moderately deep body. Several species are known as stonebashers for a percussive sound some make by striking the substrate, part of a broader communication repertoire that, like other mormyrids, relies heavily on a continuously generated weak electric field for navigation and social signaling in murky or nocturnal conditions. The atlas covers 20 species, adult sizes roughly 2–6 in.

Pollimyrus is largely of scientific rather than mainstream aquarium interest; a few species such as P. isidori (speckled stonebasher) and P. castelnaui (dwarf stonebasher) occasionally reach specialist oddball and electric-fish keepers, but the genus is far less common in the trade than showier mormyrids like Gnathonemus. Where they are kept, mormyrids of this kind generally want soft, slightly acidic water, subdued lighting, a sand substrate they can probe with sensitive facial organs, and sinking meaty foods, and tend to be shy, mostly nocturnal fish. Conservation data are sparse for the genus overall — the atlas's IUCN tally is mostly Not Evaluated, with a handful of species rated Least Concern and two Data Deficient, so there is no clear picture of range-wide threat.

IUCN Red List: Least Concern · 5 Data Deficient · 2 Not Evaluated · 13

The 20 species

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

(Günther, 1866)

NE

(Boulenger, 1913)

NE

(Boulenger, 1911)

Dwarf stonebasher

3 in SL · LC

Kramer, van der Bank & Wink, 2013

2.5 in SL · NE

Bigorne, 1991

NE

(Fowler, 1936)

Cameroon mormyrid

2 in TL · DD

(Valenciennes, 1847)

speckled stonebasher

4 in TL · LC

(Boulenger, 1920)

6 in TL · DD

(Nichols & La Monte, 1934)

NE

Kramer, van der Bank, Flint, Sauer-Gürth & Wink, 2003

Zambezi dwarf stonebasher

3 in TL · LC

(Boulenger, 1906)

NE

(Boulenger, 1899)

4.5 in TL · LC

(David & Poll, 1937)

NE

(Boulenger, 1898)

NE

(Daget, 1954)

3 in SL · NE

(Boulenger, 1898)

NE

(Boulenger, 1899)

Coquilhatville mormyrid

5 in TL · LC

Poll, 1972

3 in SL · NE

(Boulenger, 1915)

NE

(Boulenger, 1902)

NE

Explore further

How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Pollimyrus. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/pollimyrus/

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