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thing,andany tankmates in theaquarium
will likewise come to no harm from the
electric impulses.
Gymnorhamphichthyscf.hypostomus
The sand knifefishes (Rhamphichthyidae)
areassigned to theirown familywithin the
New-Worldknifefishes.Therearecurrently
three genera with 16 species known. The
genus
Gymnorhamphichthys,
sometimes
called thermometer knifeeels,contains six
described species. Not much is known
about these fishes, as they are strictly
nocturnal and bury themselves in fine
sand by day. Hence comprehensive field
observations arepractically impossible.
Portrait of anadultmale
Compsaraia samueli
Above: female
Compsaraia samueli
,below, full-lengthphotoof themale.
The
Gymnorhamphichthys
presentedhere,
like the other species discussed in this
article, was obtained from Peru by
Aquarium Glaser, Rodgau. According to
the Checklist of the Freshwater Fishes of
South America, however, there are so far
no
Gymnorhamphichthys
reported from
Peru.Themarkings of the fishes aremost
reminiscent of
G. hypostomus
, though
they have a significantly longer snout. So
perhaps this is an undescribed species,
and for this reason we have chosen the
species designation
G. cf. hypostomus
to
be on the safe side. These knife eels are
peaceful among themselves. However
theydon’tpossessany teethorotherways
of harming one another.They are easy to
feed as they enjoy eating bloodworms,
which are also amajor dietary element in
the wild, as shown by stomach contents
analysis.Maximum size for
G. hypostomus
is given as somewhat more than 20 cm,
while the imported specimens are
currently some14-18 cm long.
In addition to
G. cf. hypostomus
, the
consignment of knife eels from Peru
contained a furthermember of thegenus
