Sand knifefish are freshwater

electric fish An electric fish is any fish that can Bioelectrogenesis, generate electric fields, whether to sense things around them, for defence, or to stun prey. Most fish able to produce shocks are also electroreceptive, meaning that they can sense electric ...

of 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 ...

Rhamphichthyidae, from freshwater habitats in

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. Just like most part of the members of the

Gymnotiformes The Gymnotiformes are an order of teleost bony fishes commonly known as Neotropical knifefish or South American knifefish. They have long bodies and swim using undulations of their elongated anal fin. Found almost exclusively in fresh water (the ...

group, they also have elongated and compressed bodies and electric organs. The long anal fin actually extends from before the pectoral fins to the tip of the tail. There is no dorsal fin. Teeth are absent in the oral jaws and the snout is very long and tubular. The nostrils are very close together. This group is sometimes known as the tubesnout knifefishes for this reason. They are nocturnal and burrow in the sand during the day. This family contains one of the smallest gymnotiforms, '' Hypopygus hoedemani'', which reaches a maximum total length of . Other species of '' Steatogenys'' can range up to in length.

Genera

The following taxonomy is based on ''

Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes Catalog of Fishes is a comprehensive on-line database and reference work on the scientific names of fish species and genera. It is global in its scope and is hosted by the California Academy of Sciences. It has been compiled and is continuously up ...

'': *'' Gymnorhamphichthys'' Ellis, 1912 *'' Hypopygus'' Hoedeman, 1962 *''

Iracema ''Iracema'' (in Portuguese: ''Iracema - A Lenda do Ceará'') is one of the three indigenous novels by José de Alencar. It was first published in 1865. The novel has been adapted into several films. Plot introduction The story revolves around ...

'' Triques, 1996 *'' Rhamphichthys'' J. P. Müller & Troschel, 1846 *'' Steatogenys'' Boulenger, 1898 ''Hypopygus'' and ''Steatogenys'' were previously placed in the Hypopomidae until taxonomic studies identified their affinity with this family.

References

Freshwater fish of South America Otocephala families Weakly electric fish {{Gymnotiformes-stub

Genera

See also

References