Electric catfish
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Automated taxobox". Electric catfish, or Malapteruridae (from Ancient Greek μαλακός (malakós) meaning "soft", πτερόν (pterón), meaning "wing", and οὐρά (ourá), meaning "tail"), is a family of catfishes (order Siluriformes). This family includes two genera, Malapterurus and Paradoxoglanis, with 21 species.[1] Several species of this family have the ability to generate electricity, delivering a shock of up to 350 volts from its electric organ.[2] Electric catfish are found in tropical Africa and the Nile River.[3] Electric catfish are usually nocturnal and carnivorous.[2] Some species feed primarily on other fish, incapacitating their prey with electric discharges,[2] but others are generalist bottom foragers, feeding on things like invertebrates, fish eggs, and detritus.[4] The largest can grow to about 1.2 meters (3 ft) long, but most species are far smaller.[5][6]
Description
The Malapteruridae are the only group of catfish with well-developed electrogenic organs; however, electroreceptive systems are widespread in catfishes.[7] The electrogenic organ is derived from anterior body musculature and lines the body cavity.[3] Electric catfish do not have dorsal fins or fin spines. They have three pairs of barbels (the nasal pair is absent).[3] The swim bladder has elongate posterior chambers, two chambers in Malapterurus and three in Paradoxoglanis.[3]
Malapterurus have been conditioned by means of reward to discharge on signal. As reported in the New York Times, April 2, 1967, a researcher, Dr. Frank J. Mandriota of City College, New York, conditioned an M. electricus to discharge on a light signal for a reward of live worms delivered automatically. This is the first conditioning that modified neither glandular nor muscular responses.
The largest can grow to about 1.2 meters (3 ft) and Template:Cvt.[2][3][5] Most Malapterurus and all Paradoxoglanis species are much smaller, reaching less than Template:Cvt long.[3][5][6]
Relationship to humans
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The electric catfish of the Nile was well known to the ancient Egyptians.[9] The Egyptians reputedly used the electric shock from them when treating arthritis pain.[10][unreliable source?] They would use only smaller fish, as a large fish may generate a dangerous electric shock from 300 to 400 volts. The Egyptians depicted the fish in their mural paintings and elsewhere;[9][irrelevant citation] the first known depiction of an electric catfish is on a slate palette of the predynastic Egyptian ruler Narmer about 3100 BC.[7][8]
An account of its electric properties was given by an Arab physician Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi of the 12th century; then as now, the fish was known by the suggestive name of Script error: No such module "Lang"., which means "thunder".[9]
The shock of these catfish is used to stun prey and in defense. It is not known to be fatal to humans,[2] but large electric catfish can stun an adult person.[10] In small electric catfish, the generated current is far less and only feels like a tingle to humans.[10]
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ferraris, Carl J. Jr. (2007). "Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types" (PDF). Zootaxa. 1418: 1–628. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1418.1.1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-03-11. Retrieved 2009-06-24.
- ^ a b c d e Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ng, Heok Hee (2000). "Malapterurus electricus". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2007-07-28.
- ^ a b c d e f Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Nelson, Joseph S. (2006). Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0-471-25031-7.
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- ^ a b c Script error: No such module "Cite taxon".
- ^ a b Script error: No such module "Cite taxon".
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Howes, George J. (1985). "The phylogenetic relationships of the electric catfish family Malapteruridae (Teleostei: Siluroidei)". Journal of Natural History. 19 (1): 37–67. Bibcode:1985JNatH..19...37H. doi:10.1080/00222938500770031.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kellaway, Peter (July 1946). "The Part Played by Electric Fish in the Early History of Bioelectricity and Electrotherapy". Bulletin of the History of Medicine. 20 (2): 112–137.
- ^ a b c Script error: No such module "template wrapper".
- ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Malapterurus electricus". ScotsCat. 3 April 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
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