Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 26, 2026

Eigenmannia

Eigenmannia is a genus of fish in the family Sternopygidae native to tropical and subtropical South America, and Panama. They are typically found in slow-flowing streams, along the edge of large rivers, in deep river channels and in floodplains, and the genus also includes E. vicentespelaea, the only cave-adapted knifefish. Eigenmannia are often found near submerged roots, aquatic plants and floating meadows.

Last revised
Jun 26, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
520 w
Citations
13
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Eigenmannia
Eigenmannia virescens
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Gymnotiformes
Family: Sternopygidae
Subfamily: Eigenmanniinae
Genus: Eigenmannia
D. S. Jordan & Evermann, 18961
Type species
Sternopygus humboldtii
Synonyms1

Eigenmannia is a genus of fish in the family Sternopygidae (glass knifefishes) native to tropical and subtropical South America (south to the Río de la Plata Basin), and Panama.23 They are typically found in slow-flowing streams, along the edge of large rivers, in deep river channels and in floodplains, and the genus also includes E. vicentespelaea, the only cave-adapted knifefish.34 Eigenmannia are often found near submerged roots, aquatic plants and floating meadows.45

Depending on the exact species, they have a maximum total length of 14.3–49.6 cm (6–20 in).2 They are nocturnal, and feed on small invertebrates such as aquatic insect larvae and zooplanktonic crustaceans.4

Species

As of May 2025, these are the recognized species in this genus:26

  • Eigenmannia antonioi Peixoto, Dutra & Wosiacki, 2015
  • Eigenmannia besouro Peixoto & Wosiacki, 2016
  • Eigenmannia bumba Dutra, Ramos & Menezes, 2022
  • Eigenmannia cacuria Dutra, Ramos & Menezes, 2022
  • Eigenmannia camposi Herrera-Collazos, Galindo-Cuervo, Maldonado-Ocampo & Rincón-Sandoval, 2020
  • Eigenmannia catira Cardoso & Dutra, 2023
  • Eigenmannia correntes Campos-da Paz & Queiroz 2017
  • Eigenmannia desantanai Peixoto, Dutra & Wosiacki 2015
  • Eigenmannia dutrai Peixoto, Pastana & Ballen, 2021
  • Eigenmannia guairaca Peixoto, Dutra & Wosiacki, 2015
  • Eigenmannia guchereauae (Meunier, Jégu & Keith, 2014)
  • Eigenmannia humboldtii (Steindachner, 1878)
  • Eigenmannia limbata (Schreiner & Miranda Ribeiro, 1903)
  • Eigenmannia loretana Waltz & Albert, 2018
  • Eigenmannia macrops (Boulenger, 1897)
  • Eigenmannia macuxi Dutra, Peixoto, Donin, de Santana & Menezes, 2024.
  • Eigenmannia magoi Herrera-Collazos, Galindo-Cuervo, Maldonado-Ocampo & Rincón-Sandoval, 2020
  • Eigenmannia matintapereira Peixoto, Dutra & Wosiacki, 2015
  • Eigenmannia meeki Dutra, de Santana & Wosiacki, 2017
  • Eigenmannia microstoma (Reinhardt, 1852)
  • Eigenmannia muirapinima Peixoto, Dutra & Wosiacki, 2015
  • Eigenmannia nigra Mago-Leccia, 1994
  • Eigenmannia oradens Dutra, Peixoto, de Santana & Wosiacki, 2018
  • Eigenmannia pavulagem Peixoto, Dutra & Wosiacki, 2015
  • Eigenmannia robsoni Dutra, Ramos & Menezes, 2022
  • Eigenmannia sayona Peixoto & Waltz, 2017
  • Eigenmannia sirius Peixoto & Ohara, 2019
  • Eigenmannia trilineata López & Castello, 1966
  • Eigenmannia vicentespelaea Triques, 1996
  • Eigenmannia virescens (Valenciennes, 1836)
  • Eigenmannia waiwai Peixoto, Dutra & Wosiacki, 2015
  • Eigenmannia zenuensis Herrera-Collazos, Galindo-Cuervo, Maldonado-Ocampo & Rincón-Sandoval, 2020
References

References

  1. Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Sternopygidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Eigenmannia". FishBase. August 2019 version.
  3. Peixoto, L.A.W., Dutra, G.M. & Wosiacki, W.B. (2015). The Electric Glass Knifefishes of the Eigenmannia trilineata species-group (Gymnotiformes: Sternopygidae): monophyly and description of seven new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 175 (2): 384–414.
  4. van der Sleen, P.; J.S. Albert, eds. (2017). Field Guide to the Fishes of the Amazon, Orinoco, and Guianas. Princeton University Press. pp. 343–344. ISBN 978-0691170749.
  5. Carvalho, L.N.; L. Fidelis; R. Arruda; A. Galuch; K. Zuanon (2013). "Second floor, please: the fish fauna of floating litter banks in Amazonian streams and rivers". Neotrop. Ichthyol. 11 (1): 78–91. doi:10.1590/S1679-62252013000100010.
  6. Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Eigenmannia". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 27 May 2025.