Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Gymnotiformes (Knifefishes) >
Apteronotidae (Ghost knifefishes) > Apteronotinae
Etymology: Compsaraia: Greek, kompsos, -e, -on = elegance, polish, gracefulness + see under Raja; iara: Named after the Iara, a water nymph from Tupi-Brazilian folklore said to reside in the rivers of the Brazilian Amazon and often blamed for the disappearance of fishermen. A noun in apposition..
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal; depth range 2 - 30 m (Ref. 115978). Tropical
South America: Amazon River basin in Brazil.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 23.5 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 115978)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Anal soft rays: 155 - 174. Compsaraia iara is easily diagnosed from all species of Compsaraia by the following characters: forehead strongly rounded with dorsal margin of frontals and parasphenoid convex (vs. straight or concave in adult C. compsa and C. samueli); mouth small, gape not reaching vertical with eye in adults (vs. reaching or exceeding vertical with eye in adult C. compsa and C. samueli); absence of premaxilla teeth (vs. 8-16 premaxilla teeth in C. compsa and 4-10 in C. samueli (Ref. 115978).
Found in white waters at depths ranging from 2- 30 meters. Feeds exclusively on dipteran (Ceratopogonidae) larvae mixed with very fine sand, suggesting a benthic foraging behavior (Ref. 115978).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae
Bernt, M.J. and J.S. Albert, 2017. A new species of deep-channel electric knifefish Compsaria (Apteronotidae, Gymnotiformes) from the Amazon River. Copeia 105(2):211-219. (Ref. 115978)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.6250 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00355 (0.00145 - 0.00871), b=3.06 (2.85 - 3.27), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.3 ±0.3 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (14 of 100).