Malapterurus beninensis Murray, 1855
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
Malapterurus beninensis is a species of electric catfish native to the African nations of Angola, Benin, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo. This species grows to a length of 22 cm (9 in) SL. Its habitat is lowland marshes, rivers, and lakes.
Wikipedia contributors, Malapterurus beninensis; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:07:26.623215+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Malapterurus beninensis Murray, 1855
- Name authority
- Murray, 1855
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Siluriformes
- Family
- Malapteruridae
- Genus
- Malapterurus
- 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
- orderSiluriformes
- familyMalapteruridae Bleeker, 1858
- genusMalapterurus Lacepède, 1803
- speciesMalapterurus beninensis Murray, 1855
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Malapterurus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Malapterurus barbatus Norris, 2002 | MalapteruridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Malapterurus microstoma Poll & Gosse, 1969 | MalapteruridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Malapterurus occidentalis Norris, 2002 | MalapteruridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Malapterurus oguensis Sauvage, 1879 | MalapteruridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Malapterurus stiassnyae Norris, 2002 | MalapteruridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Malapterurus tanoensis Roberts, 2000 | MalapteruridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Malapterurus cavalliensis Roberts, 2000 | MalapteruridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Malapterurus electricus (Gmelin, 1789) | MalapteruridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Malapterurus melanochir Norris, 2002 | MalapteruridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Malapterurus monsembeensis Roberts, 2000 | MalapteruridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Malapterurus punctatus Norris, 2002 | MalapteruridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Malapterurus shirensis Roberts, 2000 | MalapteruridaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Malapterurus affinis Günther, 1864 Günther, 1864 | 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.
- Murray, A. (1855). On electrical fishes with a description of a new species of Malapterurus from Old Calabar, received from the Rev. Hope M. Waddell. Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh, v. 1: 20–21, 1 pl. 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:3XLZQ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.