Ctenopoma multispine Peters, 1844
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Ctenopoma multispine, known as the many-spined ctenopoma or climbing perch, is an African freshwater fish. It is up to 14 cm (5.5 in) long and occurs in the Lufira River, Lualaba River, Upemba River, Luapula-Moero in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Upper Zambezi in Zambia and Okavango River-Lake Ngami in Angola and Botswana. It is also known from the Kafue, rivers of coastal Mozambique, Cuanza River in Angola, and southern tributaries of the Congo River system. It may be found in well-vegetated riverine backwaters, floodplain lagoons, swamps, and isolated pans. This cryptically coloured species feeds on a wide range of prey, including smaller fish, crustaceans, and insects, and hunts by slow stalking. Adults gather in large groups to breed, after which eggs are scattered in suitable places, with no further parental care. The species is capable of surviving in warm, shallow water and may move across high ground in search of better sites in wet weather or at night.
Wikipedia contributors, Ctenopoma multispine; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:27:11.798267+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ctenopoma multispine Peters, 1844
- Name authority
- Peters, 1844
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Anabantiformes
- Family
- Anabantidae
- Genus
- Ctenopoma
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderAnabantiformes
- suborderAnabantoidei
- familyAnabantidae Bonaparte, 1831
- genusCtenopoma Peters, 1844
- speciesCtenopoma multispine Peters, 1844
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Ctenopoma. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Ctenopoma gabonense Günther, 1896 | AnabantidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ctenopoma garuanum (Ahl, 1927) | AnabantidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ctenopoma maculatum Thominot, 1886 | AnabantidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ctenopoma muriei (Boulenger, 1906) | AnabantidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ctenopoma nebulosum Norris & Teugels, 1990 | AnabantidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ctenopoma ocellatum Pellegrin, 1899 | AnabantidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ctenopoma pellegrini (Boulenger, 1902) | AnabantidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ctenopoma petherici Günther, 1864 | AnabantidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ctenopoma ashbysmithi Banister & Bailey, 1979 | AnabantidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ctenopoma acutirostre Pellegrin, 1899 | AnabantidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ctenopoma houyi (Ahl, 1927) | AnabantidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ctenopoma kingsleyae Günther, 1896 | AnabantidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Ctenopoma multispinis Peters, 1844 Peters, 1844 | synonym |
| Spirobranchus smithii Bianconi, 1859 Bianconi, 1859 | synonym |
| Anabas rhodesianus Gilchrist & Thompson, 1917 Gilchrist & Thompson, 1917 | synonym |
| Anabas multispinis (Peters, 1844) (Peters, 1844) | synonym |
| Ctenopoma machadoi (Fowler, 1930) (Fowler, 1930) | synonym |
| Ctenopoma multispini Peters, 1844 Peters, 1844 | synonym |
| Anabas vernayi Fowler, 1935 Fowler, 1935 | synonym |
| Anabas machadoi Fowler, 1930 Fowler, 1930 | synonym |
| Ctenopoma multispinus Peters, 1844 Peters, 1844 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Peters, W. (C. H.). (1844). Über einige neue Fische und Amphibien aus Angola und Mozambique. Bericht Über Die Zur Bekanntmachung Geeigneten Verhandlungen Der Königlichen Preussischen Akademie Der Wissenschaften Zu Berlin, 1844: 32–37. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:326RR. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.