Torpedinidae
| Torpedinidae | |
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| Tetronarce nobiliana | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Superorder: | Batoidea |
| Order: | Torpediniformes |
| Family: | Torpedinidae Bonaparte , 1838
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| Genera and species | |
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See text | |
The family Torpedinidae contains 22 species of electric rays or torpedoes, flat cartilaginous fishes that produce electricity as a defense and feeding mechanism. They are slow-moving bottom-dwellers.
The largest species is the
Torpedo rays are flat like other rays, disc-shaped, with caudal fins that vary in length. Their mouths and gill slits are located on their undersides. Males have claspers near the base of the tail. Females are ovoviviparous, meaning they form eggs but do not lay them. The young emerge from the eggs within the body of the female, and she gives live birth. The young are called pups.
The naval weapon known as the torpedo was named after this genus, whose own name has the same Latin origin as the English word torpid, meaning "sluggish" or "lethargic," presumably the sensations one would feel after experiencing the ray's electric shock.
Species
There are 22 species in 2 genera:[1]
- Genus T. N. Gill, 1862
- Tetronarce californica Ayres, 1855 (Pacific electric ray)
- Tetronarce cowleyi Ebert, D. L. Haas & M. R. de Carvalho, 2015 (Cowley's torpedo ray) [2]
- Tetronarce fairchildi F. W. Hutton, 1872 (New Zealand torpedo)
- Tetronarce formosa D. L. Haas & Ebert, 2006 (Taiwan torpedo)
- Tetronarce macneilli Whitley, 1932 (Shorttail torpedo)
- Bonaparte, 1835 (Atlantic torpedo)
- Tetronarce puelcha Lahille, 1926 (Argentine torpedo)
- Tetronarce tokionis S. Tanaka (I), 1908 (Trapezoid torpedo)
- F. de Buen, 1959 (Chilean torpedo)
- Genus Torpedo Houttuyn, 1764
- Torpedo adenensis M. R. de Carvalho, Stehmann & Manilo, 2002 (Aden Gulf torpedo)
- Torpedo alexandrinsis Mazhar, 1987 (Alexandrine torpedo)
- Torpedo andersoni Bullis, 1962 (Florida torpedo)
- Torpedo bauchotae Cadenat, Capapé & Desoutter, 1978 (Rosette torpedo)
- Torpedo fuscomaculata W. K. H. Peters, 1855 (Black-spotted torpedo)
- Torpedo mackayana Metzelaar, 1919 (Ringed torpedo)
- Torpedo marmorata A. Risso, 1810 (Marbled electric ray)
- Kotlyar, 1985 (Smalldisk torpedo)
- Torpedo panthera Olfers, 1831 (Leopard torpedo)
- Kotlyar, 1985 (Semipelagic torpedo)
- Torpedo sinuspersici Olfers, 1831 (Variable torpedo or Gulf torpedo)
- Torpedo suessii Steindachner, 1898
- Torpedo torpedo (Linnaeus, 1758) (Common torpedo)
References
- ^ Carvalho, M.R. de. (2015): Torpedinidae. In : Heemstra, P.C., Heemstra, E. & Ebert, D.A. (Eds.), Coastal Fishes of the Western Indian Ocean. Vol. 1. South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Grahamstown, South Africa. In press.
- ^ Ebert, D.A., Haas, D.L. & de Carvalho, M.R. (2015): Tetronarce cowleyi, sp. nov., a new species of electric ray from southern Africa (Chondrichthyes: Torpediniformes: Torpedinidae). Zootaxa, 3936 (2): 237–250.
