Dolichallabes microphthalmus
Poll 1942
| ORDER | SUB-ORDER | FAMILY |
|---|---|---|
| Siluriformes | Siluroidei | Clariidae |
Synonyms
None.
Country
Lower Congo River: freshwaterTypes
Holotype: MRAC 44655 adult male, 229 mm SL.
Paratypes: MRAC 44656-59 (196–210 mm), MRAC 62407 (188 mm SL).
Systematics
Dolichallabes microphthalmus is the only species in the genus.
Biological Notes
The lower Congo River, and especially the northern and southern rapids below Pool Malebo, are home to many endemic species (Roberts and Stewart 1976, Bailey 1986, Thieme et al. 2005, Mamonekene 2005, Alter et al. 2015, Alter et al. 2017, Stiassny 2016). In particular there are at least eleven species, in five Families, which exhibit the troglomorphic features of reduced eyes and pigment:
Clariidae
Channallabes apus (Günther 1873) Teugels 1986
Dolichallabes microphthalmus Poll 1942
Gymnallabes nops Roberts and Stewart 1976
Platyallabes tihoni (Poll 1944) Poll 1977
Claroteidae
Notoglanidium pallidum Roberts and Stewart 1976
Mastacembelidae
Mastacembelus aviceps Roberts and Stewart 1976
Mastacembelus brichardi (Poll 1958) Vreven 2005
Mastacembelus crassus Roberts and Stewart 1976
Mastacembelus latens Roberts and Stewart 1976
Cichlidae
Lamprologus lethops Roberts and Stewart 1976
Mormyridae
Stomatorhinus microps Boulenger 1898
These features probably evolved because these species live at depth within the rapids and spend their whole lives in permanent darkness, analagous to life in caves. The ocular and craniofacial anatomy of several of these species have been studied (Schobert et al. 2010, 2011, 2013) but almost nothing else is known about these animals.
Conservation Status
Moelants, T. 2010. Dolichallabes microphthalmus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T182410A7880107. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T182410A7880107.en. Downloaded on 20 March 2020.
Museum Holdings
MRAC 57662, 196 mm SL
MRAC 18850, 90 mm SL
MRAC 101843, 149 mm SL
MRAC 176123–124 68 mm SL
MRAC 79093, 134 mm SL
MRAC 93774, 66 mm SL
MRAC 79258–260 85–126 mm SL
MRAC 78808–810 99–110 mm SL
MRAC 96672 110 mm SL
MRAC 66721, 97 mm SL.
Details from Daevere et al. (2004).
Internet Resources
Main page for the Congo Project
Elizabeth Alter's work on Congo fishes
New York Times article with good photographs
Convergent evolution in the Congo rapids
Melanie Stiassny video presentation on the Congo River fishes
Genbank mitochondrial cytochrome b (Wright and Bailey 2012)
Key References
- Poll, M. (1942)
- Poll, M. (1942)
- Adriaens, D., Devaere, S., Teugels, G.G., Dekegel, B. and Verraes, W (2002)
- Huysentruyt, F., Adriaens, D., Teugels, G.G., Devaere, S., Herrel, A., Verraes, W. and Aerts, P. (2004)
- Devaere, S, Teugels, G, Adriaens, D, Huysentruyt, F. and Verraes, W. (2004)
- De Schepper, N; Adriaens, D; Teugels, GG; et al. (2004)
- Jansen, G., Devaere, S., Weekers, P.H.H. and Adriaens, D. (2006)
- Stiassny, M.L.J. and Alter, S.E. (2015)
- Alter, S.E., Brown, B. and Stiassny, M.L.J. (2015)
- Harrison, I.J., Brummett, R. and Stiassny, M.L.J. (2016)
- Alter, S.E., Munshi-South, J. and Stiassny, M.L.J. (2017)
- Day, J.J., Fages, A., Brown, K.J., Vreven, E.J., Stiassny, M.L.J., Bills, R., Friel, J.P. and Ruber, L. (2017)
- Stiassny, M.L.J., Monsembula Iyaba, R.J.C., Liyandja, T., Mbimbi Mayi Munene, J.J., Yoko, M., and Alter, E. (2018)
- Stiassny, M.L.J. (2019)
- Aardema, M.L., Stiassny, M.L.J. and Alter, S.E. (2020)
- Elbein, A. (2020)
- Stiassny, M.L. and Alter, S.E. (2021)
| Poll, M. | Journal Article | 1942 | Notes sue l'osteologie de Dolichallabes microphalmus Poll et remarques sur l'evolution des Clariidae |
| Poll, M. | Journal Article | 1942 | Description d'un genre nouveau de Clariidae originaire du Congo belge |
| Adriaens, D., Devaere, S., Teugels, G.G., Dekegel, B. and Verraes, W | Journal Article | 2002 | Intraspecific variation in limblessness in vertebrates: a unique example of microevolution |
| Huysentruyt, F., Adriaens, D., Teugels, G.G., Devaere, S., Herrel, A., Verraes, W. and Aerts, P. | Journal Article | 2004 | Diet composition in relation to morphology in some African anguilliform clariid catfishes |
| Devaere, S, Teugels, G, Adriaens, D, Huysentruyt, F. and Verraes, W. | Journal Article | 2004 | Redescription of Dolichallabes microphthalmus (Poll, 1942) (Siluriformes: Clariidae) |
| De Schepper, N; Adriaens, D; Teugels, GG; et al. | Journal Article | 2004 | Intraspecific variation in the postcranial skeleton morphology in African clariids: a case study of extreme phenotypic plasticity |
| Jansen, G., Devaere, S., Weekers, P.H.H. and Adriaens, D. | Journal Article | 2006 | Phylogenetic relationships and divergence time estimate of African anguilliform catfish (Siluriformes: Clariidae) inferred from ribosomal gene and spacer sequences |
| Stiassny, M.L.J. and Alter, S.E. | Journal Article | 2015 | Phylogenetics of Teleogramma, a riverine clade of African cichlid fishes, with a description of the deep-water molluskivore —Teleogramma obama — from the lower reaches of the middle Congo River. |
| Alter, S.E., Brown, B. and Stiassny, M.L.J. | Journal Article | 2015 | Molecular phylogenetics reveals convergent evolution in lower Congo River spiny eels |
| Harrison, I.J., Brummett, R. and Stiassny, M.L.J. | Book Section | 2016 | Congo River basin |
| Alter, S.E., Munshi-South, J. and Stiassny, M.L.J. | Journal Article | 2017 | Genomewide SNP data reveal cryptic phylogeographic structure and microallopatric divergence in a rapids adapted clade of cichlids from the Congo River |
| Day, J.J., Fages, A., Brown, K.J., Vreven, E.J., Stiassny, M.L.J., Bills, R., Friel, J.P. and Ruber, L. | Journal Article | 2017 | Multiple independent colonizations into the Congo Basin during the continental radiation of African Mastacembelus spiny eels |
| Stiassny, M.L.J., Monsembula Iyaba, R.J.C., Liyandja, T., Mbimbi Mayi Munene, J.J., Yoko, M., and Alter, E. | Conference Paper | 2018 | The evolution of extreme phenotypic convergence across fish lineages in the hyper-diverse Lower Congo River |
| Stiassny, M.L.J. | Journal Article | 2019 | Fishes in the lower Congo River An extreme case of species divergence and convergent evolution |
| Aardema, M.L., Stiassny, M.L.J. and Alter, S.E. | Journal Article | 2020 | Genomic analysis of the only blind Cichlid reveals extensive inactivation in eye and pigment formation genes |
| Elbein, A. | Web Page | 2020 | Earth’s deepest river conceals an evolutionary mystery |
| Stiassny, M.L. and Alter, S.E. | Book Section | 2021 | Life in the fast lane: diversity, ecology, and speciation of cichlids in the lower Congo River |