Sternopygus macrurus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

Longtail knifefish

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Gymnotiformes \| Sternopygidae
Synonyms	Gymnotus macrurus, Hildatia brasiliensis, Sternopygus marcgravii, ... more
Common names	Poisson-couteau, Bio del rio, Siimaveitsikala, ... more

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Image of Sternopygus macrurus (Longtail knifefish)

Picture by Galvis, G./Mojica, J.I./Camargo, M.

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Main reference

Ortega, H. and R.P. Vari. 1986. (Ref. 6329)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator : Albert, James S. | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 141 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 39524)

Environment

Benthopelagic; freshwater; pH range: 6.0 - 6.5; dH range: 4 - 15

Climate / Range

Tropical; 22°C - 28°C (Ref. 2059)

South America: Magdalena River basin; entire extent of the Amazon and Orinoco River basins below approximately 500 m elevation including Napo River of western Ecuador and Madre de Dios River of Peru; all drainages of the Guianas Shield; Atlantic drainages of northeastern Brazil (Tocantins, Parnaíba, Pindaré, Itapicuru, and Salgado rivers); São Francisco River basin; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Paraguay-Paraná River basin.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Anal soft rays: 195 - 300

Occurs in swamps, creeks, and river with lentic waters. Preys on small invertebrates, particularly the larvae of aquatic insects (Ref. 12225). Breeds before the start of the rainy season (Ref. 10645) or during the rainy season, with a fecundity count of 6473 eggs (Ref. 10643). Males persistently defend their territory and apparently make electric signals (by increased electric organ discharge (EOD) rates and interruptions thereof) to females passing by to draw in a spawning partner (Ref. 10605). Mature females' EODs are of higher frequencies than mature males (Ref. 10645). Plasma androgens modulate the EOD frequency during the breeding season (Ref. 10767). Embryos hatch on day 4; larvae begin to feed on day 11. The electric organ and electroreceptors are both present in the larva at the time of first exogenous feeding (Ref. 10605). Seems to reach sexual maturity at 1 year of age, based on breeding experiments (Ref. 10011).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Not Evaluated	Harmless

Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

Tools
Biogeographic modelling \| E-book \| Field guide \| Length-frequency wizard \| Life-history tool \| LifeMapper \| Point map

Special reports
Check for Aquarium maintenance \| Check for Species Fact Sheets \| Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page \| Point data \| Common names \| Photos

Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Resilience (Ref. 69278)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
High vulnerability (63 of 100)	Not marketed/unknown

Entered by Luna, Susan M.

Modified by Albert, James S.

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Page last modified by : elaxamana, 15 July 2009

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