Unexpected species diversity in electric eels with a description of the strongest living bioelectricity generator

C. David de Santana (), William G. R. Crampton, Casey B. Dillman, Renata G. Frederico, Mark H. Sabaj, Raphaël Covain, Jonathan Ready, Jansen Zuanon, Renildo R. Oliveira, Raimundo N. Mendes-Júnior, Douglas A. Bastos, Tulio F. Teixeira, Jan Mol, Willian Ohara, Natália Castro e Castro, Luiz A. Peixoto, Cleusa Nagamachi, Leandro Sousa, Luciano F. A. Montag, Frank Ribeiro, Joseph C. Waddell, Nivaldo M. Piorsky, Richard P. Vari and Wolmar B. Wosiacki
Additional contact information
C. David de Santana: Division of Fishes, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, MCR 159, National Museum of Natural History, PO Box 37012, Smithsonian Institution
William G. R. Crampton: University of Central Florida
Casey B. Dillman: Division of Fishes, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, MCR 159, National Museum of Natural History, PO Box 37012, Smithsonian Institution
Renata G. Frederico: Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal do Pará, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas
Mark H. Sabaj: The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
Raphaël Covain: Muséum d’histoire naturelle, Département d’herpétologie et d’ichtyologie
Jonathan Ready: Laboratório de Lepidopterologia e Ictiologia Integrada, Centro de Estudos Avançados da Biodiversidade, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará
Jansen Zuanon: Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia
Renildo R. Oliveira: Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia
Raimundo N. Mendes-Júnior: RESEX do Rio Cajari, Instituto Chico Mendes da Conservação da Biodiversidade, Macapá
Douglas A. Bastos: Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia
Tulio F. Teixeira: Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, Laboratório de Ictiologia
Jan Mol: Anton de Kom University of Suriname
Willian Ohara: Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, Laboratório de Ictiologia
Natália Castro e Castro: Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi
Luiz A. Peixoto: Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, Laboratório de Ictiologia
Cleusa Nagamachi: Universidade Federal do Pará
Leandro Sousa: Universidade Federal do Pará
Luciano F. A. Montag: Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal do Pará, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas
Frank Ribeiro: Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará, Campus Amazônia
Joseph C. Waddell: University of Central Florida
Nivaldo M. Piorsky: Universidade Federal do Maranhão, Departamento de Biologia, Laboratório de Ecologia e Sistemática de Peixes
Richard P. Vari: Division of Fishes, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, MCR 159, National Museum of Natural History, PO Box 37012, Smithsonian Institution
Wolmar B. Wosiacki: Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Is there only one electric eel species? For two and a half centuries since its description by Linnaeus, Electrophorus electricus has captivated humankind by its capacity to generate strong electric discharges. Despite the importance of Electrophorus in multiple fields of science, the possibility of additional species-level diversity in the genus, which could also reveal a hidden variety of substances and bioelectrogenic functions, has hitherto not been explored. Here, based on overwhelming patterns of genetic, morphological, and ecological data, we reject the hypothesis of a single species broadly distributed throughout Greater Amazonia. Our analyses readily identify three major lineages that diverged during the Miocene and Pliocene—two of which warrant recognition as new species. For one of the new species, we recorded a discharge of 860 V, well above 650 V previously cited for Electrophorus, making it the strongest living bioelectricity generator.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11690-z

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