PlanetCatfish.com - Malapterurus electricus (Malapteruridae) Cat-eLog

Adult
Albino
Close-up of head
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Albino - close-up of head
Juvenile

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Malapterurus electricus** (Gmelin, 1789)
Common Names	Electric Catfish Elektrisk Mal (Sweden), Elektrisk Malle (Denmark), Elmalle (Denmark), Zitterwels (Germany)
Type Locality	Nile River at Banha, Egypt, 30°28'N 31°11'E.
Synonym(s)	Malopterurus electricus, Silurus electricus
Pronunciation	mah lah TERR oo russ - ell eck trick uss
Etymology	Malapterurus: From the Greek malakos, meaning soft, pteron, meaning fin and oura, meaning tail; presumably in reference to the adipose fin, which appears all the more prominent in the absence of the rayed dorsal fin.
Articles	- CotM 2000 May
Species Information
Size	1220mm or 48" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Sexing	Males are more slender.
Habitat Information
Distribution	Africa: occurs in much of the Nile system (exclusive of Lake Victoria), the Lake Turkana, Lake Chad and Senegal basins, throughout the Niger system, and in smaller southward flowing basins in west Africa (rivers Bandama through Volta). African Waters, Nile (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Nigeria Waters, Niger (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Volta (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Western Rift Valley Lakes, Tanganyika (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Chad (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Nigeria Waters, Agulu (click on these areas to find other species found there) Login to view the map.
IUCN Red List Category	Least Concern , range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2019.
pH	6.5 - 8.2
Temperature	23.0-30.0°C or 73.4-86°F (Show species within this range)
Husbandry Information
Feeding	Live fish, earthworms (bloodworm for smaller fish), chopped meat or seafood. Care must be taken not to overfeed as this fishes is a real glutton. User data.
Furniture	A dimly lit tank with a suitably sized retreat - appears to prefer stone over wood.
Compatibility	A loner, adult fish must be kept alone.
Suggested Tankmates	None, for reasons that should be obvious!
Breeding	Unknown although it is reported that (a) the fish spawn in burrows and (b) that they may be mouthbrooders.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	Caroli a Linné ... Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae v. 1 (pt 3), pp 1354.
Registered Keepers	There are 31 registered keepers, view all "my cats" data.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There is no wish to keep this species.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 12 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
Forum BBCode

	Search for M. electricus
	Look up M. electricus on AquaticRepublic.com
	Look up M. electricus on Fishbase
	Look up M. electricus on Encyclopedia of Life
	Look up M. electricus on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.16.46.109
Last Update	2025 Jan 01 12:19 (species record created: 2001 Apr 20 00:00)