Mormyrops anguilloides (Linnaeus, 1758)
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
The Cornish jack, Mormyrops anguilloides, is a species of weakly electric fish in the family Mormyridae, native to quiet waters in much of Sub-Saharan Africa. The largest species in its family, the Cornish jack is a nocturnal group hunter of smaller fishes, using electricity to locate its prey and communicate with other members of its group. It is a commercial game fish valued for its size and taste.
The common name "Cornish jack" likely originated from European settlers, who thought that this fish resembled the European pike, whose young is known as a "jack" in some parts of England. It is also known as "African carp", a name that is used for several other species.
Wikipedia contributors, Cornish jack; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:14:18.209261+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Mormyrops anguilloides (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Osteoglossiformes
- Family
- Mormyridae
- Genus
- Mormyrops
- 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
- orderOsteoglossiformes
- familyMormyridae Bonaparte, 1831
- genusMormyrops Müller, 1843
- speciesMormyrops anguilloides (Linnaeus, 1758)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Mormyrops. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Mormyrops parvus Boulenger, 1899 | MormyridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mormyrops furcidens Pellegrin, 1900 | MormyridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mormyrops curtus Boulenger, 1899 | MormyridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mormyrops breviceps Steindachner, 1894 | MormyridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mormyrops zanclirostris (Günther, 1867) | MormyridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mormyrops mariae (Schilthuis, 1891) | MormyridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mormyrops caballus Pellegrin, 1927 | MormyridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mormyrops masuianus Boulenger, 1898 | MormyridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mormyrops lineolatus Boulenger, 1898 | MormyridaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Mormyrops zambanenje (Peters, 1852) (Peters, 1852) | synonym |
| Mormyrops longiceps Günther, 1867 Günther, 1867 | synonym |
| Mormyrus anguilloides Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
| Mormyrus tuckeyi Valenciennes, 1847 Valenciennes, 1847 | synonym |
| Mormyrus swanenburgi Schilthuis, 1891 Schilthuis, 1891 | synonym |
| Oxyrhynchus deliciosus Leach, 1818 Leach, 1818 | synonym |
| Mormyrops anguilloides voltae Roman, 1966 Roman, 1966 | synonym |
| Mormyrops deliciosus (Leach, 1818) (Leach, 1818) | synonym |
| Mormyrops zambezense Sauvage, 1880 Sauvage, 1880 | synonym |
| Mormyrus zambanenje Peters, 1852 Peters, 1852 | synonym |
| Mormyrops anguiloides (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | 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=581710 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:73RB6. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.