Family Sternopygidae - Glass knifefishes | ||||
Order | : | Gymnotiformes | ||
Class | : | Teleostei | ||
No. in FishBase | : | Genera : 6 | Species : 47 Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes | ||
Environment | : | Fresh : Yes | Brackish : No | Marine : No | ||
Division | : | Primary freshwater | ||
Aquarium | : | some | ||
First Fossil Record | : | |||
Remark | : | Species diversity and systematics of the Sternopygidae has been reviewed by Mago-Leccia (1978), Lundberg and Mago-Leccia (1986), Albert and Fink (1996), Albert and Campos-da-Paz (1998), Alves-Gomes (1998), and Albert (2001). Sternopygid species possess the following unique combination of characters among gymnotiforms: multiple rows of small, villiform (brush-like) teeth in both jaws; large eye (diameter equal to or greater than distance between nares); infraorbital bones large and bag-like, with expanded bony arches; anterior nares located outside gape; anal-fin origin at isthmus; no urogenital papilla, caudal fin or dorsal organ. Sternopygids possess a tone-type electric organ discharge, characterized by a monophasic hyperpolarization from negative baseline. There are currently 40 names available in the literature for sternopygid genera and species. Of these, 6 generic and 30 species names are valid. There are in addition 11 manuscript names for species currently in preparation, bringing the known diversity of Sternopygidae to 41 species. Many more sternopygid species are anticipated, as the rate of description is accelerating. Sternopygid are relatively conservative in terms of overall external morphology. Like all gymnotiforms the shape is culteriform, with an elongate body and anal fin. Higher level sternopygid taxonomy emphasizes differences in orbital margin, extent of body compression, and osteological features. Many sternopygid species specialized for life in main river channels. Many species are highly compressed laterally and translucent in life (e.g., some Eigenmannia, Rhabdolichops). Sternopygids are medium to large-sized gymnotiforms, exhibiting substantial diversity in total adult body size, from 120 mm (Sternopygus vicentespelaea) to 1.4 M (Sternopygus macrurus). The Sternopygidae is confined to the Humid Neotropics, ranging the Rio de la Plata of Argentina (35° S) to the Rio Tuira of Panama (8°N). Sternopygids are known from the continental waters of all South American countries except Chile (Albert, 2001), and are most diverse - both taxonomically and ecologically - in the Amazon basin. The ecology and natural history of most sternopygid species is very poorly understood. Sternopygus is the most widely distributed sternopygid genus, in terms of both geography and habitat, extending the full range of the family. Sternopygus species inhabit both floodplain and tierra firme (non-floodplain) streams and rivers. Many sternopygids forage on small aquatic animals (e.g., dipteran larvae) from the benthos or roots of aquatic vegetation; Rhabdolichops species are planktivorous, consuming insect and crustacean larvae. Sternopygid systematics and taxonomy is rapidly changing as new species and previously undocumented phenotypes are discovered. The total expected number of species cannot currently be estimated with confidence. A large number of undescribed sternopygid species are known in museum collections and many more are likely to be captured from continued field studies, particularly in Western Amazonia. There is little direct commercial exploitation of sternopygid species. Some Eigenmannia species are ecologically important in many riverine systems, often constituting a large proportion of the biomass, and are presumed to form an important base of the food web in main Amazonian river channels (Lundberg et al., 1987). Two species, Sternopygus macrurus and Eigenmannia cf. virescens are common in the aquarium trade. Sternopygids are not usually eaten by humans, although some large (40 - 60 cm) specimens of riverine Sternopygus spp. are sometimes caught on hook and line. | ||
Etymology | : | Greek, sternon = chest, breast + Greek, pyge = anus ( Ref. 45335). | ||
Reproductive guild | : | nonguarders | ||
Typical activity level | : | |||
Main Ref. | : | Albert, J.S. 2003 | ||
Coordinator | : | Albert, J.S. 2003 | ||
Deep Fin Classification | : | Osteichthyes | Actinopterygii | Actinopteri | Neopterygii | Teleostei | Osteoglossocephalai | Clupeocephala | Otomorpha | Ostariophysi | | Otophysa | | | | | | Siluriphysae | Gymnotiformes | Sternopygoidei | | Sternopygidae |
Important recommendation:
The list below must not be used as an authority reference synonymy list like those found in scientific published revisions, which must be the source to be used and cited eventually when they exist.
Rather, it reflects the current content of FishBase, and the progress with respect to synchronization with the Catalog of Fishes. However, we think it can be useful for users to assess the quality of information in FishBase, to start new work on the family, or to cross-check with other lists.
But we appreciate to be cited in publications when this list has been of any working value. In particular, for published scientific, we suggest then to cite it in the Material and Method section as a useful tool to conduct the research, but again, not as a taxonomic or nomenclatural authority reference.
Unless it is explicitly precised, the list is not complete, please search all original names published for the family in the Catalog of Fishes (genera, species), including those with uncertain or unknown status, that are not included in FishBase when they are not attached to a valid species.
This list uses some data from Catalog of Fishes (not shown but used to sort names).
The list ordered as follows:
Please send comments and corrections if you detect errors or missing names.
Scientifc name | Status | Senior/Junior synonym | Combination |
---|---|---|---|
Sternopygus macrurus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) | accepted | senior | new |
Gymnotus macrurus Bloch & Schneider, 1801 | synonym | senior | original |
Sternopygus marcgravii Reinhardt, 1852 | synonym | junior | original |
Carapus sanguinolentus Castelnau, 1855 | ambiguous | questionable | original |
Hildatia brasiliensis Fernández-Yépez, 1968 | synonym | junior | original |
Sternopygus obtusirostris (non Steindachner, 1881) | misapplied | misapplied | original |
Sternopygus aequilabiatus (Humboldt, 1805) | accepted | senior | new |
Gymnotus aequilabiatus Humboldt, 1805 | synonym | senior | original |
Sternopygus aequilabiatus aequilabiatus (Humboldt, 1805) | synonym | senior | new |
Sternopygus dariensis Meek & Hildebrand, 1916 | synonym | junior | original |
Sternopygus aequilabiatus dariensis Meek & Hildebrand, 1916 | synonym | junior | change in rank |
Sternopygus arenatus (Eydoux & Souleyet, 1850) | accepted | senior | new |
Carapus arenatus Eydoux & Souleyet, 1850 | synonym | senior | original |
Sternopygus aequilabiatus arenatus (Eydoux & Souleyet, 1850) | synonym | senior | new |
Sternopygus obtusirostris Steindachner, 1881 | accepted | senior | original |
Sternopygus pejeraton Schultz, 1949 | accepted | senior | original |
Sternopygus aequilabiatus pejeraton Schultz, 1949 | synonym | senior | change in rank |
Sternopygus astrabes Mago-Leccia, 1994 | accepted | senior | original |
Sternopygus xingu Albert & Fink, 1996 | accepted | senior | original |
Sternopygus castroi Triques, 2000 | accepted | senior | original |
Sternopygus branco Crampton, Hulen & Albert, 2004 | accepted | senior | original |
Eigenmannia humboldtii (Steindachner, 1878) | accepted | senior | new |
Sternopygus humboldtii Steindachner, 1878 | synonym | senior | original |
Eigenmannia virescens (Valenciennes, 1836) | accepted | senior | new |
Sternachus virescens Valenciennes, 1836 | synonym | senior | original |
! Sternatchus virescens Valenciennes, 1836 | synonym | senior | original |
Sternopygus tumifrons Müller & Troschel, 1849 | synonym | junior | original |
Sternopygus lineatus Müller & Troschel, 1849 | synonym | junior | original |
Eigenmannia lineata (Müller & Troschel, 1849) | synonym | junior | new |
Eigenmannia microstomus (Reinhardt, 1852) | accepted | senior | new |
Sternopygus microstomus Reinhardt, 1852 | synonym | senior | original |
! Eigenmannia microstoma (Reinhardt, 1852) | synonym | senior | new |
Eigenmannia macrops (Boulenger, 1897) | accepted | senior | new |
Sternopygus macrops Boulenger, 1897 | synonym | senior | original |
Eigenmannia limbata (Schreiner & Miranda Ribeiro, 1903) | accepted | senior | new |
Sternopygus limbatus Schreiner & Miranda Ribeiro, 1903 | synonym | senior | original |
Eigenmannia goajira Schultz, 1949 | accepted | senior | original |
Distocyclus goajira (Schultz, 1949) | synonym | senior | new |
Eigenmannia trilineata López & Castello, 1966 | accepted | senior | original |
Eigenmannia nigra Mago-Leccia, 1994 | accepted | senior | original |
Eigenmannia vicentespelaea Triques, 1996 | accepted | senior | original |
Eigenmannia antonioi Peixoto, Dutra & Wosiacki, 2015 | accepted | senior | original |
Eigenmannia desantanai Peixoto, Dutra & Wosiacki, 2015 | accepted | senior | original |
Eigenmannia guairaca Peixoto, Dutra & Wosiacki, 2015 | accepted | senior | original |
Eigenmannia matintapereira Peixoto, Dutra & Wosiacki, 2015 | accepted | senior | original |
Eigenmannia muirapinima Peixoto, Dutra & Wosiacki, 2015 | accepted | senior | original |
Eigenmannia pavulagem Peixoto, Dutra & Wosiacki, 2015 | accepted | senior | original |
Eigenmannia waiwai Peixoto, Dutra & Wosiacki, 2015 | accepted | senior | original |
Eigenmannia besouro Peixoto & Wosiacki, 2016 | accepted | senior | original |
Eigenmannia meeki Dutra, de Santana & Wosiacki, 2017 | accepted | senior | original |
Eigenmannia sayona Peixoto & Waltz, 2017 | accepted | senior | original |
Rhabdolichops troscheli (Kaup, 1856) | accepted | senior | new |
Sternopygus troscheli Kaup, 1856 | synonym | senior | original |
Sternopygus axillaris Günther, 1868 | synonym | junior | original |
Rhabdolichops longicaudatus Eigenmann & Allen, 1942 | synonym | junior | original |
Rhabdolichops caviceps (Fernández-Yépez, 1968) | accepted | senior | new |
Guichthys caviceps Fernández-Yépez, 1968 | synonym | senior | original |
Rhabdolichops eastwardi Lundberg & Mago-Leccia, 1986 | accepted | senior | original |
Rhabdolichops electrogrammus Lundberg & Mago-Leccia, 1986 | accepted | senior | original |
Rhabdolichops stewarti Lundberg & Mago-Leccia, 1986 | accepted | senior | original |
Rhabdolichops zareti Lundberg & Mago-Leccia, 1986 | accepted | senior | original |
Rhabdolichops jegui Keith & Meunier, 2000 | accepted | senior | original |
Rhabdolichops lundbergi Correa, Crampton & Albert, 2006 | accepted | senior | original |
Rhabdolichops navalha Correa, Crampton & Albert, 2006 | accepted | senior | original |
Rhabdolichops nigrimans Correa, Crampton & Albert, 2006 | accepted | senior | original |
Archolaemus blax Korringa, 1970 | accepted | senior | original |
! Archeolaemus blax Korringa, 1970 | synonym | senior | original |
Archolaemus ferreirai Vari, de Santana & Wosiacki, 2012 | accepted | senior | original |
Archolaemus janeae Vari, de Santana & Wosiacki, 2012 | accepted | senior | original |
Archolaemus luciae Vari, de Santana & Wosiacki, 2012 | accepted | senior | original |
Archolaemus orientalis Stewart, Vari, de Santana & Wosiacki, 2012 | accepted | senior | original |
Archolaemus santosi Vari, de Santana & Wosiacki, 2012 | accepted | senior | original |
Distocyclus conirostris (Eigenmann & Allen, 1942) | accepted | senior | new |
Eigenmannia conirostris Eigenmann & Allen, 1942 | synonym | senior | original |
Distocyclus guchereauae Meunier, Jégu & Keith, 2014 | accepted | senior | original |
Japigny kirschbaum Meunier, Jégu & Keith, 2011 | accepted | senior | original |