Abstract
Is there only one electric eel species? For two and a half centuries since its description by Linnaeus, Electrophorus electricus has captivated humankind by its capacity to generate strong electric discharges. Despite the importance of Electrophorus in multiple fields of science, the possibility of additional species-level diversity in the genus, which could also reveal a hidden variety of substances and bioelectrogenic functions, has hitherto not been explored. Here, based on overwhelming patterns of genetic, morphological, and ecological data, we reject the hypothesis of a single species broadly distributed throughout Greater Amazonia. Our analyses readily identify three major lineages that diverged during the Miocene and Pliocene—two of which warrant recognition as new species. For one of the new species, we recorded a discharge of 860 V, well above 650 V previously cited for Electrophorus, making it the strongest living bioelectricity generator.
Highlights
Is there only one electric eel species? For two and a half centuries since its description by Linnaeus, Electrophorus electricus has captivated humankind by its capacity to generate strong electric discharges
Phylogenetic analyses based on the mitochondrial COI gene resolved three divergent and highly supported lineages corresponding to E. electricus, and the two proposed new species E. voltai, and E. varii—both with Bayesian Inference [posterior probability (PP) >0.95], and Maximum-Likelihood (ML) analysis
Intra-specific divergences range from 0.02% in E. electricus to 0.31 and 0.32% in E. voltai, and E. varii, respectively
Summary
Is there only one electric eel species? For two and a half centuries since its description by Linnaeus, Electrophorus electricus has captivated humankind by its capacity to generate strong electric discharges. Phylogenetic analyses based on the mitochondrial COI gene resolved three divergent and highly supported lineages corresponding to E. electricus, and the two proposed new species E. voltai, and E. varii—both with Bayesian Inference [posterior probability (PP) >0.95], and Maximum-Likelihood (ML) analysis (bootstrap >0.95; Fig. 1).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
