| This is a
family made up of 15 species found in the freshwaters of South America.
They have an elongated, compressed body. Like other members of the order
Gymnotiformes, they posses electric organs that are the result of
transformed muscles. They use these organs to search for food, obstacles,
other fishes (electrogenic or not) and for defense. They are mainly
nocturnal fishes many of which are found only in the deep waters of major
rivers of the Amazon basin (Nelson
1994). These characters could be considered preadaptations to
the hypogean environment. Only one hypogean species has been described so
far. |
|
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Eigenmannia vicentespelaea
Triques, 1996
|