Citharinus citharus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809)
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
Citharinus citharus, commonly called moonfish or mleke, is a species of lutefish from tropical Africa. C. citharus has detritivorous habits leading to its stomach containing high volumes of indigestible materials such as chitin, cellulose, and lignin. This species has adapted to digest protein and organic matter at a fast rate so that it can reach its nutritional needs while having a high concentration of indigestible material in its stomach.
Wikipedia contributors, Citharinus citharus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:21:32.387820+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Citharinus citharus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809)
- Name authority
- (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Characiformes
- Family
- Citharinidae
- Genus
- Citharinus
- 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
- orderCharaciformes
- suborderCitharinoidei
- familyCitharinidae Günther, 1864
- genusCitharinus Cuvier, 1816
- speciesCitharinus citharus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Citharinus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Citharinus gibbosus Boulenger, 1899 | CitharinidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Distichodus marnoi Steindachner, 1881 Steindachner, 1881 | synonym |
| Serrasalmus citharus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809 Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809 | synonym |
| Citharinus citharius (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809) (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809) | synonym |
| Citharinus geoffroei Cuvier, 1829 Cuvier, 1829 | synonym |
| Citharinus geoffroyi Cuvier, 1829 Cuvier, 1829 | synonym |
| Citharinus citharus citharus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809) (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809) | synonym |
| Citharinus citharus intermedius Worthington, 1932 Worthington, 1932 | 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=1020007 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:5YWHB. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.