Narcinidae
| Narcinidae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Lesser electric ray, Narcine bancroftii | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Superorder: | Batoidea |
| Order: | Torpediniformes |
| Family: | Narcinidae T. N. Gill, 1862 |
Narcinidae, or numbfishes, are a family of
Members of this family are commonly known as the numbfishes, and are found almost worldwide in warm temperate and tropical continental and continental insular waters. They are strictly marine, so are absent from
continental slope to a depth of 1,071 m.[3]
Description
Small to medium-sized
Numbfishes vary in color from whitish or yellowish to brownish, grey-brown, greenish, reddish, or black above, either plain or with small to large spots, blotches, bars or lines, sometimes forming complex eye-shaped spots or
ocelli on the pectoral fins. They are usually white underneath, or black in deep-water species. The large, kidney-shaped electric organs at the base of the pectoral fins are visible through the skin.[3]
Biology and ecology
Numbfishes are slow-swimming
ovoviviparous, with eggs hatching inside the mother.[3]
Genera
These genera are included in this family:[5]
References
- ^ "Narcinidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved March 20, 2006.
- ^ a b Martin, R. Aidan. Electric Rays. ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research. Retrieved on October 12, 2008.
- ^ a b c d Compagno, L.J.V. and Last, P.R. (1999). Narcinidae. Numbfishes. p. 1433-1437. In: K.E. Carpenter and V.H. Niem (eds.) FAO identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization.
- ISBN 0-8018-6048-2.
- ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2012). "Narcinidae" in FishBase. October 2012 version.