Gymnotus carapo Linnaeus, 1758
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The banded knifefish (Gymnotus carapo) is a species of gymnotiform knifefish native to a wide range of freshwater habitats in South America. It is the most widespread species of Gymnotus, but it has frequently been confused with several relatives, including some found outside its range like the Central America G. maculosus. The English name "banded knifefish" is sometimes used for the entire genus Gymnotus instead of only the species G. carapo.
Wikipedia contributors, Banded knifefish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:41:40.837346+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Gymnotus carapo Linnaeus, 1758
- Name authority
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Gymnotiformes
- Family
- Gymnotidae
- Genus
- Gymnotus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderGymnotiformes
- suborderPulseoidei Janzen, Sabaj, Crampton & Lovejoy, 2026
- superfamilyGymnotoidea Rafinesque, 1815
- familyGymnotidae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusGymnotus Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesGymnotus carapo Linnaeus, 1758
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Gymnotus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Gymnotus ardilai Maldonado-Ocampo & Albert, 2004 | GymnotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gymnotus capanema Milhomem, Crampton, Pierczeka, Shetka, Silva & Nagamachi, 2012 | GymnotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gymnotus capitimaculatus Rangel-Pereira, 2014 | GymnotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gymnotus cataniapo Mago-Leccia, 1994 | GymnotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gymnotus chaviro Maxime & Albert, 2009 | GymnotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gymnotus coatesi La Monte, 1935 | GymnotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gymnotus curupira Crampton, Thorsen & Albert, 2005 | GymnotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gymnotus cylindricus La Monte, 1935 | GymnotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gymnotus henni Albert, Crampton & Maldonado-Ocampo, 2003 | GymnotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gymnotus javari Albert, Crampton & Hagedorn, 2003 | GymnotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gymnotus mamiraua Albert & Crampton, 2001 | GymnotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gymnotus obscurus Crampton, Thorsen & Albert, 2005 | GymnotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Gymnotus albus Pallas, 1769 Pallas, 1769 | ambiguous synonym |
| Gymnotus putaol Lacepède, 1800 Lacepède, 1800 | synonym |
| Gymnotus fasciatus Pallas, 1769 Pallas, 1769 | synonym |
| Giton fasciatus (Pallas, 1769) (Pallas, 1769) | synonym |
| Carapus macrourus Cuvier, 1870 Cuvier, 1870 | synonym |
| Gymnotus brachiurus Bloch, 1786 Bloch, 1786 | synonym |
| Sternopygus carapus Günther, 1870 Günther, 1870 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. [iii] + 824 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.542 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3HVM4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.