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193:(all other families lack a caudal fin) as well as a fleshy dorsal organ represented by a longitudinal strip along the dorsal midline. They vary greatly in size, ranging from about 15 cm (6 in) in total length in the smallest species to 60 cm (2 ft) in the largest. It has been claimed that
175:. They inhabit a wide range of freshwater habitats, but more than half the species in the family are found deep in rivers (typically deeper than 5 m or 16 ft) where there is little or no light.
745:
Bernt, M.J.; W.G.R. Crampton; A.B. Orfinger; J.S. Albert (2018). "Melanosternarchus amaru, a new genus and species of electric ghost knifefish (Gymnotiformes: Apteronotidae) from the Amazon Basin".
503:
439:
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519:
199:
is up to 130 cm (4.3 ft), but this is not supported by recent studies, which indicate that it does not surpass about 50 cm (1.6 ft). These
418:
679:"Taxonomic revision of the deep channel electric fish genus Sternarchella (Teleostei: Gymnotiformes: Apteronotidae), with descriptions of two new species"
291:
lists 89 species in 16 genera, However, after a number of recent taxonomic advances, Eschmeyer's
Catalog of Fishes recognizes 94 species in 16 genera.
241:, have tubular snouts and forage on the beds of aquatic insect larvae and other small animals which burrow into the river bottom. At least one species (
710:
Bernt, M.J.; J.S. Albert (2017). "A New
Species of Deep-channel Electric Knifefish Compsaraia(Apteronotidae, Gymnotiformes) from the Amazon River".
571:
126:
116:
940:
615:"On Apteronotus magdalenensis (Miles, 1945) (Gymnotiformes: Apteronotidae): a poorly known species endemic to the río Magdalena basin, Colombia"
966:
782:"A redescription of deep-channel ghost knifefish, Sternarchogiton preto (Gymnotiformes: Apteronotidae), with assignment to a new genus"
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Many
Apteronotids are aggressive predators of small aquatic insect larvae and fishes, though there are also
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are very unusual, preying on the tails of other electric fishes. Other species, such as
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which grow on submerged trees, stumps, and other woody debris. The genus
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is artificial and some of the species do not actually belong in it.
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Apteronotids use a high frequency tone-type (also called wave-type)
832:
662:
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277:
248:
222:
86:
613:
Maldonado-Ocampo, J.A.; Santana, C.D. de; W.G.R. Crampton (2011).
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fish. Others are known to appear in the trade but are quite rare.
168:
76:
1005:
906:
590:
Field Guide to the Fishes of the Amazon, Orinoco, and
Guianas
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178:
780:
Bernt, M.J.; A.H. Fronk; J.S. Albert; J.S. Albert (2020).
709:
677:Evans, K.M.; W.G.R. Crampton; J.S. Albert (2017).
1038:
592:. Princeton University Press. pp. 322–330.
207:exists in some genera in snout shape and jaws.
182:, which are also commonly called knifefishes.
588:van der Sleen, P.; J.S. Albert, eds. (2017).
570:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
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185:They are distinguished from other
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1057:Taxa named by David Starr Jordan
1052:Freshwater fish of South America
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479:
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632:10.1590/S1679-62252011000300005
606:
550:. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
504:Sternarchorhynchus oxyrhynchus
225:species. Species of the genus
1:
527:
203:fish have small eyes. Also,
189:fishes by the presence of a
7:
799:10.1590/1982-0224-2019-0126
546:Nelson, Joseph, S. (2006).
440:Adontosternarchus balaenops
276:) are readily available as
167:. These fish are native to
10:
1073:
696:10.1590/1982-0224-20160168
822:
759:10.11646/zootaxa.4378.4.1
488:Orthosternarchus tamandua
283:
274:Apteronotus leptorhynchus
244:Sternarchogiton nattereri
196:Apteronotus magdalenensis
50:Scientific classification
48:
37:
28:
23:
656:; Pauly, Daniel (eds.).
520:Tenebrosternarchus preto
427:Members of Apteronotidae
212:electric organ discharge
786:Neotropical Ichthyology
683:Neotropical Ichthyology
666:. October 2017 version.
472:Melanosternarchus amaru
39:Black ghost knifefish (
658:"Family Apteronotidae"
214:(EOD) to communicate.
993:Paleobiology Database
456:Apteronotus albifrons
270:brown ghost knifefish
266:Apteronotus albifrons
262:black ghost knifefish
41:Apteronotus albifrons
548:Fishes of the World
363:Platyurosternarchus
419:Tenebrosternarchus
403:Sternarchorhynchus
395:Sternarchorhamphus
247:) eats freshwater
239:Sternarchorhamphus
234:Sternarchorhynchus
24:Ghost knifefishes
1034:
1033:
980:Open Tree of Life
816:Taxon identifiers
724:10.1643/CI-16-529
619:Neotrop. Ichthyol
331:Melanosternarchus
299:Adontosternarchus
205:sexual dimorphism
161:ray-finned fishes
153:ghost knifefishes
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355:Pariosternarchus
339:Orthosternarchus
323:Megadontognathus
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792:(1): e190126.
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753:(4): 451–479.
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718:(2): 211-219.
702:
689:(2): e160168.
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654:Froese, Rainer
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625:(3): 505–514.
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155:are a family,
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173:South America
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165:Gymnotiformes
163:in the order
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157:Apteronotidae
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928:iNaturalist
848:Wikispecies
307:Apteronotus
254:Apteronotus
219:piscivorous
187:gymnotiform
1041:Categories
528:References
371:Porotergus
315:Compsaraia
191:caudal fin
113:Suborder:
566:cite book
411:Tembeassu
201:nocturnal
73:Kingdom:
67:Eukaryota
833:Wikidata
767:29689992
732:89729804
663:FishBase
289:FishBase
278:aquarium
133:Family:
87:Chordata
83:Phylum:
77:Animalia
63:Domain:
839:Q774256
747:Zootaxa
249:sponges
103:Order:
93:Class:
1024:154627
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712:Copeia
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384:Genus
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368:Genus
360:Genus
352:Genus
344:Genus
336:Genus
328:Genus
320:Genus
312:Genus
304:Genus
296:Genus
284:Genera
268:) and
169:Panama
144:, 1923
1019:WoRMS
1006:Plazi
972:30766
941:IRMNG
933:85595
728:S2CID
159:, of
967:NCBI
954:ITIS
920:3711
915:GBIF
907:5482
881:1310
876:BOLD
763:PMID
751:4378
594:ISBN
572:link
552:ISBN
260:The
237:and
221:and
171:and
151:The
902:EoL
894:6LP
889:CoL
863:ADW
794:doi
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627:doi
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