''Japigny'' is a

monospecific genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

of freshwater

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

belonging to the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Sternopygidae, the glass knifefishes. The only species in the genus is ''Japigny kirschbaum'' which was described in 2011 from the

Approuague The Approuague () river (or Apuruaque in Tupi) is a major river in French Guiana. It is long. It runs north from the Tumuk Humak Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, almost parallel with the Oyapock, with its mouth by the Pointe Béhague cape. The ...

Mana Mana may refer to: Religion and mythology * Mana (Oceanian cultures), the spiritual life force energy or healing power that permeates the universe in Melanesian and Polynesian mythology * Mana (food), archaic name for manna, an edible substance m ...

and Maroni rivers in

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

. It reaches up to in total length and is brownish-dusky with a pattern of dark-and-pale broad bands (a similar pattern exists in '' Sternopygus astrabes'' and ''Sternopygus sarae'').

Etymology

The knifefish is named in honor of

Frank Kirschbaum Frank, FRANK, or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a Germanic people in late Roman times * Franks, a term in the Muslim world for Franks#Crusaders and other Western Europeans as "Frank ...

, of the

Humboldt University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

. He was a specialist in gymnotiform fishes because he had spawned and bred several species in the laboratory.

References

Eigenmanniinae Fish of French Guiana Endemic fauna of French Guiana Taxa named by François-Jean Meunier Taxa named by Michel Louis Arthur Marie Ange François Jégu Taxa named by Philippe Keith Fish described in 2011 {{Gymnotiformes-stub