Melanosternarchus amaru Bernt, Crampton, Orfinger & Albert, 2018
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
Melanosternarchus is a genus of ghost knifefish found in the Amazon basin of Brazil and Peru. The single species in this genus, Melanosternarchus amaru is primarily found in the deep channels of large blackwater rivers.
This species can be recognized by its large mouth, slender body and an absence of scales on its nape and dorsum. Its maximum recorded size is 272 mm (10.7 inches).
Wikipedia contributors, Melanosternarchus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:10:22.368559+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Melanosternarchus amaru Bernt, Crampton, Orfinger & Albert, 2018
- Name authority
- Bernt, Crampton, Orfinger & Albert, 2018
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Gymnotiformes
- Family
- Apteronotidae
- Genus
- Melanosternarchus
- 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
- suborderSinusoidei Janzen, Sabaj, Crampton & Lovejoy, 2026
- familyApteronotidae Jordan, 1923
- subfamilyApteronotinae Jordan, 1923
- tribeSternachellini Albert, 2001
- genusMelanosternarchus Bernt, Crampton, Orfinger & Albert, 2018
- speciesMelanosternarchus amaru Bernt, Crampton, Orfinger & Albert, 2018
Close classified relatives
No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.
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.
- Bernt, M. J., Crampton, W. G. R., Orfinger, A. B., & Albert, J. S. (2018). Melanosternarchus amaru, a new genus and species of electric ghost knifefish (Gymnotiformes: Apteronotidae) from the Amazon Basin. Zootaxa, 4378. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4378.4.1 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:D5GX6. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.