NEWS104
33
Lexicon
Knifefishes
Gymnorhamphichthysmeans
"nakedRhamphichthys".
Rhamphichthys is another genusof
knifeeels.
hypostomusmeans“with
underslungmouth".
samueli:named inhonor of Samuel
Albert,who collected the type
specimen.
Adontosternarchusmeans
"Sternarchuswithout teeth";
Sternarchus is another knifefish
genus.
Sternarchellameans "small
Sternarchus".
Compsaraia:means“withelegant
fin-ray"; thegenusname refers to
theanal fin. Apteronotus means
"without finon theback".
Eigenmannia: inhonor of Carl H.
Eigenmann (1863-1927).
Electrophorus:after anearlydevice
of the samename inphysics,used
toproduce staticelectricity.
electricusmeans "electric".
albifrons:means“withawhite
forehead".
leptorhynchusmeans“witha small
snout".
smaller than the females and the
differences between the sexes are
nothing like as eye-catching as in other
species of the family. On the other hand,
Adontosternarchus
have an attractively
marbledpattern.Thecoloration isspecies-
typical and serves as an important
character for distinguishing the different
species.These knife eels are fairly tolerant
of one another, so group maintenance
shouldat least be tried.
When keeping New-World knifefishes
there are a few fundamental rules that
should be observed. Firstly, never forget
that theseareweaklyelectric fishes; it has
proved very beneficial to offer PVC pipes
as hiding-places, as these at least partially
shield the electrical fields so that the
fishes don’t get on one another’s nerves.
Moreover, of possible live food should be
offeredat least during theacclimatization
period. Bloodworms and
Tubifex
are
particularly well suited. Even if the food
animals creep into the substrate (which
should ideally consist of sand in knife-eel
aquaria), the knife eels can detect them
using their electroreceptors and capture
them. Small food fishes are the best
option for specieswithprolonged snouts.
The chemical composition of thewater is
of rather secondary importance, even
though soft and slightly acid water
predominates in the habitat of the
majority of species. Particular attention
should be paid to the tip of the tail, a
favorite target for biting during
intraspecific skirmishes. In fact knife eels
possess an astonishing ability to
regenerate and can even recreate large
parts of the tail (more than half the body
length!) in the event of loss; but fungal
and bacterial infections of the tip of the
tail are,however,verypoorly toleratedand
can lead to thedeathof the fish.
All in all the New-World knifefishes are
highly interesting fishes. It is greatly tobe
wished that they should be kept more
often!
Adontosternarchusnebulosus,
femaleabove,malebelow.
Portrait
A.nebulosus.
