''Japigny kirschbaum'' is a species of

glass knifefish Glass knifefishes are fishes in the family Sternopygidae in the order Gymnotiformes. Species are also known as rattail knifefishes. These fishes inhabit freshwater streams and rivers in Panama and South America. Many sternopygid species are spec ...

described in 2011 from the

Approuague The Approuague river (or Apuruaque in Tupi) is a major river in French Guiana. It is long. It runs north from the Tumuk Humak Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, almost parallel with the Oyapock, with its mouth by the Pointe Béhague cape. The App ...

, Mana and Maroni rivers in French Guiana. It is the only member of its genus. It reaches up to in total length and is brownish-dusky with a pattern of dark-and-pale broad bands (a similar pattern exists in ''

Sternopygus ''Sternopygus'' is a genus of glass knifefishes found in tropical and subtropical South America (south to the Río de la Plata Basin), and Panama. They inhabit a wide range of freshwater habitats, from fast-flowing rivers to essentially static ...

astrabes'').Meunier, F.J., Jégu, M. & Keith, P. (2011): A new genus and species of neotropical electric fish,'' Japigny kirschbaum ''(Gymnotiformes: Sternopygidae), from French Guiana. ''Cybium, 35 (1): 47-53.''

Etymology

The knifefish is named in honor of Frank Kirschbaum, of the Humboldt University of Berlin. He was a specialist in gymnotiform fishes because he had spawned and bred several species in the laboratory.

References

Sternopygidae Fish of French Guiana Endemic fauna of French Guiana Taxa named by François-Jean Meunier Taxa named by Michel Louis Arthur Marie Ange François Jégu Taxa named by Philippe Keith Fish described in 2011 {{Gymnotiformes-stub