''Sternopygus'' is a genus 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 ...

es found in tropical and subtropical

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

(south to the Río de la Plata Basin), and

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

. They inhabit a wide range of freshwater habitats, from fast-flowing rivers to essentially static waters in floodplains, and shallow habitats to the bottom of deep rivers. ''S. macrurus'' will even visit

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

mangrove to feed. They are medium to large knifefish, with a maximum total length of depending on the exact species. They feed on invertebrates, small fish and fruits. Most members of

Gymnotiformes The Gymnotiformes are an order of teleost bony fishes commonly known as Neotropical knifefish or South American knifefish. They have long bodies and swim using undulations of their elongated anal fin. Found almost exclusively in fresh water (the ...

are

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

, but ''Sternopygus'' are both nocturnal and diurnal.

Species

There are currently ten recognized species in this genus. * ''

Sternopygus aequilabiatus ''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 ...

'' ( Humboldt, 1805) * '' Sternopygus arenatus'' ( Eydoux & Souleyet, 1850) * ''

Sternopygus astrabes ''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 ...

'' Mago-Leccia, 1994 * ''

Sternopygus branco ''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 ...

'' Crampton,

Hulen Hulen ('The Cave') is a student-driven rock club in Bergen, Norway, that opened on 17 May 1969. Hulen has its premises in an old bomb shelter below Nygårdshøyden in the city center of Bergen. The shelter is rented from the Norwegian Civil Defe ...

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert ...

, 2004 * ''

Sternopygus dariensis ''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 ...

Meek Meekness is an attribute of human nature and behavior that has been defined as an amalgam of righteousness, inner humility, and patience. Meekness has been contrasted with humility alone insomuch as humility simply refers to an attitude towards o ...

& Hildebrand 1916 * ''

Sternopygus macrurus ''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 ...

'' (

Bloch Bloch is a surname of German origin. Notable people with this surname include: A–F * (1859-1914), French rabbi *Adele Bloch-Bauer (1881-1925), Austrian entrepreneur *Albert Bloch (1882–1961), American painter * (born 1972), German motor journal ...

& J. G. Schneider, 1801) (Longtail knifefish) * '' Sternopygus obtusirostris''

Steindachner Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner describ ...

, 1881 * '' Sternopygus pejeraton'' L. P. Schultz, 1949 * ''Sternopygus sabaji'' Torgersen &

, 2022 * '' Sternopygus xingu''

& W. L. Fink, 1996

References

Sternopygidae Freshwater fish genera Taxa named by Johannes Peter Müller Taxa named by Franz Hermann Troschel {{Gymnotiformes-stub