Malapterurus melanochir Norris, 2002
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 melanochir is a species of electric catfish endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it occurs in the upper and middle Congo River basin. This species grows to a length of 98 centimetres (39 in) SL.
Wikipedia contributors, Malapterurus melanochir; 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 melanochir Norris, 2002
- Name authority
- Norris, 2002
- 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 melanochir Norris, 2002
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 electricus (Gmelin, 1789) | 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 |
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.
- Norris, S. M. (2002). A revision of the African electric catfishes, family Malapteruridae (Teleostei, Siluriformes), with erection of a new genus and descriptions of fourteen new species, and an annotated bibliography. Annales, Musée Royal de l’Afrique Centrale, Tervuren, Série in 8o, Sciences Zoologiques, 289: 1–155. 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:3XM2B. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.