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Teleostei (teleosts) > Gymnotiformes (Knifefishes) > Gymnotidae (Naked-back knifefishes) > Electrophorinae
Etymology: Electrophorus: Greek, elektron = amber + Greek,pherein = to carry (Ref. 45335); voltai: Named for Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta (1745-1827).
Eponymy: Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta (1745–1827) was an Italian physicist, chemist and pioneer of electricity. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

South America: generally in the north-flowing rivers of the Brazilian shield and south-flowing rivers of the Guyana shield. Occurs with Electrophorus varii in some streams in the Guiana Shield (Ref. 120918).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 171 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 120918)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

This species differs from E. electricus by having a ventral outline of head ovoid, widest anterior to branchial opening (vs. U-shaped) and with 112-146 lateral-line pores (vs. 88-101); differs from E. varii by having the skull depressed (vs. deep), cleithrum lies between vertebrae 5 and 6 (vs. between vertebrae 1 and 2), wide head (vs. narrow); distance between medial margins of contralateral dentaries at transverse through last two ventral pores 2-3 times longer in E. voltai than E. varii; low-voltage electric organ discharges or EOD duration 1.72 ms; high-voltage EOD 860 V at 121.9 cm TL (Ref. 120918).

Obligate air-breathing (Ref. 126274)

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Campos-da-Paz, Ricardo | Collaborators

de Santana, C.D., W.G.R. Crampton, C.B. Dillman, R.G. Frederico, M.H. Sabaj, R. Covain, J. Ready, J. Zuanon, R.R. de Oliveira, R.N. Mendes-Júnior, D.A. Bastos, T.F. Teixeira, J. Mol, W. Ohara, N.C. de Castro, L.A. Peixoto et al., 2019. Unexpected species diversity in electric eels with a description of the strongest living bioelectricity generator. Nature Communications (2019)10:4000. [+authors; Nagamachi, C.; Sousa, L.; Montag, L.F.A.; Ribeiro, F.; Waddell, J.C.; Piorsky, N.M.; Vari, R.P.; Wosiacki, W.B.] (Ref. 120918)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 08 July 2021

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

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Length-weight rel.
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Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = No PD50 data [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00389 (0.00180 - 0.00842), b=3.12 (2.94 - 3.30), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.6 ±0.5 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Very high vulnerability (90 of 100).

Electrophorus voltai de Santana, Wosiacki, Crampton, Sabaj, Dillman, Castro e C., Bastos & Vari, 2019