Gymnotus

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Banded knifefishes

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Gymnotiformes
Family:	Gymnotidae
Genus:	Gymnotus Linnaeus, 1758

Species

See text.

Gymnotus is the among the most species-rich group of electric knifefishes (Gymnotiformes) found in the Amazon. Some Gymnotus species live in the leaf litter and root tangles of river banks. Other species are specialized to live on floodplains within the rootmats of floating meadows. Several species are broadly adapted to live in both of these habitats. Gymnotus are nocturnal predators feeding on insects, crustaceans, and other fish. They generate weak electric fields used in locating objects, and also for communication in which the males court females using stereotyped electrical "songs".^{[citation needed]}

Small scales may be present on this fish. The mouth is superior, meaning it is turned upwards. The anal fin terminates at a point near the tip of the tail. Species of Gymnotus reach up to about 100 cm in length. This is the most widespread genus of the order Gymnotiformes, extending from southern Mexico to Argentina. They also occur in Trinidad.^[1]

[edit] Species

Gymnotus anguillaris Hoedeman, 1962.
Gymnotus arapaima Albert & Crampton, 2001.
Gymnotus ardilai Maldonado-Ocampo & Albert, 2004.
Gymnotus bahianus Campos-da-Paz & Costa, 1996.
Banded knifefish, Gymnotus carapo Linnaeus, 1758.
Gymnotus cataniapo Mago-Leccia, 1994.
Gymnotus chimarrao Cognato et al., 2007^[2]
Gymnotus choco Albert, Crampton & Maldonado, 2003.
Gymnotus coatesi La Monte, 1935.
Gymnotus coropinae Hoedeman, 1962.
Gymnotus curupira Crampton, Thorsen & Albert, 2005.
Gymnotus cylindricus La Monte, 1935.
Gymnotus diamantinensis Campos-da-Paz, 2002.
Gymnotus esmeraldas Albert & Crampton, 2003.
Gymnotus henni Albert, Crampton & Maldonado, 2003.
Gymnotus inaequilabiatus (Valenciennes, 1842).
Gymnotus javari Albert, Crampton & Hagedorn, 2003.
Gymnotus jonasi Albert & Crampton, 2001.
Spotted knifefish, Gymnotus maculosus Albert & Miller, 1995.
Gymnotus mamiraua Albert & Crampton, 2001.
Gymnotus melanopleura Albert & Crampton, 2001.
Gymnotus obscurus Crampton, Thorsen & Albert, 2005.
Gymnotus onca Albert & Crampton, 2001.
Gymnotus panamensis Albert & Crampton, 2003.
Gymnotus pantanal Fernandes, Albert, Daniel-Silva, Lopes, Crampton & Almeida-Toledo, 2005.
Gymnotus pantherinus (Steindachner, 1908).
Gymnotus paraguensis Albert & Crampton, 2003.
Gymnotus pedanopterus Mago-Leccia, 1994.
Gymnotus stenoleucus Mago-Leccia, 1994.
Gymnotus sylvius Albert & Fernandes-Matioli, 1999.
Gymnotus tigre Albert & Crampton, 2003.
Gymnotus ucamara Crampton, Lovejoy & Albert, 2003.
Gymnotus varzea Crampton, Thorsen & Albert, 2005.

[edit] References

^ Nelson, Joseph, S. (2006). Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.. ISBN 0471250317.
^ Cognato et al.. "Gymnotus chimarrao, a new species of electric fish (Gymnotiformes: Gymnotidae) from Southern Brazil.". Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters 18: 375–382.