Unexpected species diversity in electric eels with a description of the strongest living bioelectricity generator
Author
de Santana, C. David
Author
Crampton, William G. R.
Author
Dillman, Casey B.
Author
Frederico, Renata G.
Author
Sabaj, Mark H.
Author
Covain, Raphaël
Author
Ready, Jonathan
Author
Zuanon, Jansen
Author
de Oliveira, Renildo R.
Author
Mendes-Júnior, Raimundo N.
Author
Bastos, Douglas A.
Author
Teixeira, Tulio F.
Author
Mol, Jan
Author
Ohara, Willian
Author
Castro, Natália Castro e
Author
Peixoto, Luiz A.
Author
Nagamachi, Cleusa
Author
Sousa, Leandro
Author
Montag, Luciano F. A.
Author
Ribeiro, Frank
Author
Waddell, Joseph C.
Author
Piorsky, Nivaldo M.
Author
Vari, Richard P.
Author
Wosiacki, Wolmar B.
text
Nature Communications
2019
2019-09-10
10
4000
1
10
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11690-z
journal article
25569
10.1038/s41467-019-11690-z
0bf63512-9d52-45d8-9256-45fd2e094799
PMC6736962
31506444
3405402
Electrophorus electricus
(
Linnaeus, 1766
)
Fig. 6
Lateral view of
Electrophorus varii
sp. nov.
Holotype, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi MPEG 25422, 1000 mm TL. Goiapi River, Brazil
Gymnotus electricus
1;
Gymnoti tremuli
ref. 34: 27, pl. 3;
Gymnotus tremulus
ref. 35: 111;
Gymnotus electricus
ref. 1: 427;
Gymnotus regius
ref. 36: 273.
Diagnosis:
Ten nucleotides in COI (BOL-COIfishF1/
R
1; 569- bp fragment): G(8), A(50),
T
(76),
T
(77),
T
(107), C(119), C(182), G(272), G(494), A(560). Ventral outline of head U-shaped, widest at terminus of branchial opening (
Fig. 2a
) and lateral-line pores 88–101 (versus ovoid, widest anterior to branchial opening,
Fig. 2b
;
112–146 in
E
.
voltai
). Distinguished by skull depressed, cleithrum lies between vertebrae 5 and 6 (
Fig. 2a
), pectoral-fin rays 32–38, and lateral-line pores 88–101 (versus skull deep, cleithrum lies between vertebrae 1 and 2,
Fig. 2c
, 20–28, and
124–186 in
E
.
varii
, respectively).
Fig. 7
Lateral view of
Electrophorus voltai
sp. nov.
Holotype, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi MPEG 15529, 1290 mm TL. Ipitinga River, Brazil
Description:
Species illustrated in
Figs. 2
,
3
, and 5. Maximum size examined specimens
1000 mm
TL (total length). Morphometric and meristic data in Supplementary Data 2. Body elongate; sub-cylindrical at pectoral girdle, progressively compressed posteriorly. Mouth superior. Scales absent. Anal and caudal fins seamlessly conjoined. Anus and urogenital papilla separated, located anterior to ventral margin of branchial opening. Head and body color brown to blackish. Clear band along body, below lateral line, variably present.
Low-voltage (Sachs’ organ) EOD and high-voltage (main/ Hunter’ s organ) with head-positive monophasic waveform. Lowvoltage EOD 2.03–2.19 ms duration,
n
= 2 (
Fig. 4d
). High-voltage EOD 480
V
at
760 mm
TL,
n
= 1 (
Fig. 4d
). For distribution see
Fig. 1a
and Supplementary Data 1.