Malapterurus electricus (Gmelin, 1789)
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 electricus is a thickset fish with six mouth barbels and a single fin on its back, just anterior to the rounded tail fin. It is brownish or grayish, irregularly spotted with black, and attains a length and weight of about 1.2 metres (3 ft 11 in) and 23 kilograms (51 lb) M. electricus is capable of generating and controlling the discharge of up to 450 volts of electricity. It uses its power to defend itself and to capture prey.
Wikipedia contributors, Malapterurus electricus; 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 electricus (Gmelin, 1789)
- Name authority
- (Gmelin, 1789)
- 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 electricus (Gmelin, 1789)
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 beninensis Murray, 1855 | 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 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 |
|---|---|
| Malopterurus electricus (Gmelin, 1789) (Gmelin, 1789) | synonym |
| Silurus electricus Gmelin, 1789 Gmelin, 1789 | synonym |
| Silurus electricus Bonnaterre, 1788 Bonnaterre, 1788 | 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.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1023004 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:3XM28. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.