1910–1911
Britannica 11th
Encyclopaedia Britannica · 11th edition
ELECTRIC EEL (Gymnolus electricus), a member of the family of fishes known as Gymnotidae. In spite of their external similarity the Gymnotidae have nothing to do with the eels (Anguilla). They resemble the latter in the elongation of the body, the large number of vertebrae (240 in Gymno(us), and the absence of pelvic fins; but they differ in all the more important characters of internal structure. They are in fact allied to the carps or Cyprinidae and the cat-fishes or Siluridae. In common with these two families a…
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- Vol. 9, pp. 179-179