African Brown Knife Fish, Black Knife Fish, Brown Knife Fish
Xenomystus nigri is a fascinating fish with an unusual form and way to move. It is a member of the Notopteridae family and can be easily distinguished from its Asian parent Notopterus notopterus: African Knife fish lacks a dorsal fin and is smaller. It is a graceful swimmer, thanks to its long continuous fin along the underside. It is a hardy species that in Nature survives in wide range of conditions. This fish is widely distributed in tropical Africa, in the Nile, Chad, Niger, Ogowe and Congo basins. Also present in coastal rivers in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Togo, Benin and Cameroon, but not found in Côte d’Ivoire nor Ghana.