Electric Organ Discharges of Cyphomyrus petherici (Mormyridae, Osteoglossiformes) from the White Nile Basin.

Abstract

The waveform and some characteristics of the electric organ discharges have been studied in 11 individuals of Cyphomyrus petherici, the only representative of the genus in the Nilotic fauna. The discharge is characterized by three to five phases with a prevalence of the second phase in terms of the relative amplitude and a wide variability of the total duration of discharge (from 212 to 558 μs). The comparison of the discharges of the species under study with those in the congeneric species and representatives of the genus Pollimyrus (which previously encompassed C. petherici) demonstrates a general similarity of the C. petherici discharges with those of Cyphomyrus, but not Pollimyrus. This is in agreement with the correspondence of the discharge characteristics observed in other mormyrids to the phylogenetic position and taxonomic status of the species.