Common names:
Unknown
Jonam: Ngai

Taxonomic tree
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish)
Order: Osteoglossiformes (Fishes with bony tongue)
Family: Mormyridae (fishes with Elephant-like snout)
Genus: Hyperopisus
Species: Hyperopisus bebe (Lacepède, 1803)
Number of Occurrancies: 5

Etymology(based on Sharpf & Lazara, 2018) 

• Hyperopisus: hypero-, very or above, referring to palatal teeth (on roof of mouth), which are pisus, pisiform (pea-shaped)


• bebe:  named after a place in Egypt where this species is abundant 

Synonyms: click here to view synonyms

Type locality: Nile River, Egypt. No types known.

General identification features for mormyrids: Elongate body; narrow and distinct caudal peduncle; opercular bones hidden beneath the skin, reduced opening of the branchial cabity reduced; small eyes covered by the skin; naked head, its skin thick and well supplied with mucus glands; small cycloid scales; and muscles of the caudal peduncle modified to form an electric organ, and the elaphant-like snout

Distinguishing characters for the genus

• Elongate and compressed body


• Anal fin is 5 or more times longer than dorsal fin


• Pelvic fins nearer the pectoral than the anal fin


• Nostrils near the tip of the snout than the eye


• Terminal mouth situated below the eye level; teeth in both jaws small and notched, never more than 6 in each jaw

Distinguishing characters for the species

• Depth of the body contained up to 3-5.5 times in standard length, and length of the head 4.5-5.75 times


• Dorsal head profile strongly curved


• Mouth small and terminal


• Teeth notched, 3-5 and 4-6 in upper and lower jaws, respectively


• Dorsal fin with 12-16 rays, of which the first two or three are unbranched


• Anal fin with 54-64 rays, its origin considerably in advance of the dorsal


• Lateral line with 90-120 scales; 20 around the caudal peduncal, which is nearly twice as long as deep


• Colour is silver, the dorsal surface is iridescent grey-olive or purple.

Distribution in Uganda: Albert and Murchison Niles, Aswa river

Occurence: Native

Habitat: Fluviatile, common in waters just above the bottom (demersal); potamodromous. 

Feeding: No data on food of H. bebe in Uganda. Elsewhere, the species is known to feed on molluscs.  

Biology: Largest size recorded is 47 cm. There is no information on breeding of species in Uganda. Elsewhere, Hyperopisus breeds in swamps during the rainy season.

Economic importance/End use: The species is not abundant and is part of incidental catch.

IUCN conservation status: click here to view IUCN status

Threats: Clearence of swamps and marginal wetlants where the species breeds

Main references

• Greenwood PH. 1966. The fishes of Uganda. The Uganda Society, Kampala. 131 pages.


• Sharpf C, Lazara J.K. 2018. Fish Name Etymology Database v16. www.etyfish.org