Narke capensis (Gmelin, 1789)
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 onefin electric ray or Cape numbfish (Narke capensis) is a common but little-known species of electric ray in the family Narkidae, native to South Africa and Namibia. It is a benthic fish found in shallow coastal bays over sandy or muddy bottoms. This small species reaches 38 cm (15 in) in length, and has a nearly circular pectoral fin disc and a short, muscular tail that supports a large caudal fin. It can be identified by its single dorsal fin, which is located over the large pelvic fins. Its dorsal coloration is yellowish to dusky brown. Like other members of its family, the onefin electric ray can defend itself with a strong electric shock produced from a pair of kidney-shaped electric organs beside its head. It feeds mainly on polychaete worms, and likely gives birth to live young. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) presently lacks enough information to assess the conservation status of this species.
Wikipedia contributors, Onefin electric ray; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:17:06.524126+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Narke capensis (Gmelin, 1789)
- Name authority
- (Gmelin, 1789)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Torpediniformes
- Family
- Narkidae
- Genus
- Narke
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · 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
- parvphylumChondrichthyes
- classElasmobranchii
- subclassNeoselachii
- infraclassBatoidea
- orderTorpediniformes
- familyNarkidae Fowler, 1934
- genusNarke Kaup, 1826
- speciesNarke capensis (Gmelin, 1789)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Narke. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Narke dipterygia (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) | NarkidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Narke japonica (Temminck & Schlegel, 1850) | NarkidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Torpedo capensis Gronow, 1854 Gronow, 1854 | synonym |
| Raja rapensis Gmelin, 1789 Gmelin, 1789 | synonym |
| Astrape capensis (Gmelin, 1789) (Gmelin, 1789) | synonym |
| Raja capensis Gmelin, 1789 Gmelin, 1789 | ambiguous 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.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=221344 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:45PVM. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.