Black ghost
Apteronotus albifrons
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The black ghost knifefish lives in South America, from Venezuela to the Paraná-Paraguay basin, including the Amazon, in fast streams with sandy bottoms. It is all black, with two white rings on the tail and a white blaze on the snout. Nocturnal, it generates a weak electric field to navigate and find insect larvae. It swims forwards and backwards by undulating its long ventral fin. It reaches about 50 centimetres and is territorial towards its own kind.
- Scientific name
- Apteronotus albifrons
- Family
- Apteronotidae
Fact sheet
General
- Water
- Freshwater
- Group
- Fish
Taxonomy
- Family
- Apteronotidae
- Order
- Gymnotiformes
- Synonyms
- Apteronotus passan, Gymnotus albifrons, Sternarchus albifrons, Sternarchus lacepedii, Sternarchus maximilliani
Origin
- Native region
- América do Sul
Water
- Temperature
- 23–28 °C
- pH
- 6–8
- General hardness (GH)
- 5–19 °dGH
Size and lifespan
- Adult size
- 50 cm
- Lifespan
- 15 years
Behavior
- Swimming level
- Middle
Conservation and trade
- IUCN status
- Least concern (LC)
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