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 10.1038/s41467-019-11690-z 0bf63512-9d52-45d8-9256-45fd2e094799 PMC6736962 31506444 3405402 Electrophorus varii , sp. nov. de Santana, Wosiacki, Crampton, Sabaj, Dillman, Mendes-Júnior and Castro e Castro Holotype : MPEG 25422 , 1000 mm TL; Goiapi River , Marajó Island , Pará , Brazil . Paratypes : INPA 46378 , INPA 46379 (3) ; MHNG 2748.083 ; MPEG 30480 (3). Etymology: In honor of Richard Peter Vari (1949–2016) for his contributions to ichthyology. Diagnosis: Eleven nucleotides in COI: A(64), A(80), G(146), G (164), T (190), A(251), A(467), C(512), T (517), A(536), and C (569). Pectoral-fin rays 20–28 and lateral-line pores 124–186 (versus 32–38, and 88–101, respectively, in E . electricus ). Distinguished by head narrow, Fig. 2a (versus wide, Fig. 2b , in E . voltai ; distance between medial margins of contralateral dentaries at transverse through last two ventral pores 2–3 times shorter in E . varii than E . voltai , Fig. 2a, b ), skull deep, cleithrum lies between vertebrae 1 and 2, Fig. 2b (versus skull depressed, cleithrum lies between vertebrae 5 and 6, in both E . electricus and E . voltai Fig. 2a, c ). Description: As for E . electricus , except as noted in Diagnosis and except clear band along body always absent. Species illustrated in Figs. 2 , 3 , and 6. Maximum size examined specimens 1485 mm TL. Morphometric and meristic data in Supplementary Data 2. Low-voltage EOD duration 1.24–1.78 ms ( Fig. 4d ), highvoltage EOD 151 V ( 200 mm TL) to 572 V ( 609 mm TL) ( Fig. 4d ), n = 4. For distribution see Fig. 1a ; Supplementary Data 1.