Apteronotus albifrons (Linnaeus, 1766)
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 black ghost knifefish (Apteronotus albifrons) is a tropical ornamental fish belonging to the ghost knifefish family (Apteronotidae). They originate in freshwater habitats in South America where they range from Venezuela to the Paraguay–Paraná River, including the Amazon Basin. They are popular in aquaria. The fish is all black except for two white rings on its tail, and a white blaze on its nose, which can occasionally extend into a stripe down its back. It moves mainly by undulating a long fin on its underside. It will grow to a length of 45–50 centimetres (18–20 in).
Black ghost knifefish are nocturnal. They are a weakly electric fish which use an electric organ and receptors distributed over the length of their body in order to locate prey, including insect larvae.
Wikipedia contributors, Black ghost knifefish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:03:25.593317+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Apteronotus albifrons (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Gymnotiformes
- Family
- Apteronotidae
- Genus
- Apteronotus
- 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
- tribeApteronotini Jordan, 1923
- genusApteronotus Lacepède, 1800
- speciesApteronotus albifrons (Linnaeus, 1766)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Apteronotus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Apteronotus acidops Triques, 2011 | ApteronotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apteronotus macrostomus (Fowler, 1943) | ApteronotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apteronotus anu de Santana & Vari, 2013 | ApteronotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apteronotus camposdapazi de Santana & Lehmann A., 2006 | ApteronotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apteronotus caudimaculosus de Santana, 2003 | ApteronotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apteronotus cuchillejo (Schultz, 1949) | ApteronotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apteronotus eschmeyeri de Santana, Maldonado-Ocampo, Severi & Mendes, 2004 | ApteronotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apteronotus galvisi de Santana, Maldonado-Ocampo & Crampton, 2007 | ApteronotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apteronotus hasemani (Ellis, 1913) | ApteronotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apteronotus macrolepis (Steindachner, 1881) | ApteronotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apteronotus mariae (Eigenmann & Fisher, 1914) | ApteronotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apteronotus milesi de Santana & Maldonado-Ocampo, 2005 | ApteronotidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Sternarchus albifrons (Linnaeus, 1766) (Linnaeus, 1766) | synonym |
| Gymnotus albifrons Linnaeus, 1766 Linnaeus, 1766 | synonym |
| Sternarchus lacepedii Castelnau, 1855 Castelnau, 1855 | synonym |
| Sternarchus maximilliani Castelnau, 1855 Castelnau, 1855 | synonym |
| Apteronotus passan Lacepède, 1800 Lacepède, 1800 | 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=1022974 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:FYRB. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.