electric eel
Enable an agent to recognise an electric eel, distinguish taxonomic claims from observations of individuals and populations, assess its biological and electrical state, and choose justified observation or care actions.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
recalled by Codex without web access - no source was read
Researched by: Codex
Purpose and description
Enable an agent to recognise an electric eel, distinguish taxonomic claims from observations of individuals and populations, assess its biological and electrical state, and choose justified observation or care actions.
An electric eel is a South American freshwater knifefish of the genus Electrophorus, family Gymnotidae, with specialized electric organs used for sensing, communication and powerful discharges during prey capture and defence.
It can be Identify an observation to the best supported taxonomic level and retain unresolved alternatives.; Compare discharge recordings only after checking measurement conditions and behavioural context.; Assess an individual's feeding, respiration, growth and observable welfare over time.; Relate a wild observation to a drainage basin and a supported species distribution.; Determine whether observation, specialist care, sampling or movement has sufficient biological evidence and applicable authorisation.; Flag taxonomic, conservation or husbandry claims that require further research..
Distinguishing features
Require taxonomic evidence for Electrophorus; an elongated body or the common name 'eel' alone does not establish identity.
Assess electric-organ anatomy alongside discharge evidence; electricity production alone does not distinguish electric eels from other electric fishes.
Use diagnostic morphology, locality and, where available, genetic evidence to distinguish species; the 2019 revision recognised E. electricus, E. voltai and E. varii. [Taxonomic revision](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-11690-z)
Separate measured low- and high-voltage discharge characteristics from species identification; an isolated voltage reading is not a sufficient identification test.
Record whether the subject is a taxon, a local population or an individual before applying range, conservation or physiological claims.
Scope
+ Taxonomic identification, name provenance and uncertainty within Electrophorus
+ Individual anatomy, life stage, reproductive condition and health
+ Electric-organ discharge measurements and their behavioural context
+ Freshwater habitat, surface access, locality and population membership
+ Species-specific conservation evidence and conditions governing observation, care or movement
- True eels and other electric fishes except as identification comparisons
- General freshwater ecosystem modelling beyond conditions affecting electric eels
- Electrical equipment and biomimetic power sources inspired by electric organs
- Electric eel meat, commercial products and trade transactions
- Human injury diagnosis and treatment following electrical exposure
Characteristics
- Taxonomic assignment
- Accepted scientific name, rank, authority and year; identification confidence; unresolved where necessary Prevents the common name from silently becoming a claim about one species.
- Taxonomic reference mapping
- Verified GBIF and NCBI Taxonomy identifiers with matched rank, source and retrieval date Allows records to be reconciled without merging different taxonomic concepts.
- Biological subject level
- Taxon | population | individual Keeps conservation assessments distinct from individual health and behaviour.
- Body size
- Total length in cm; mass in kg; measurement date and method Supports growth assessment and interpretation of discharge observations.
- Life stage and reproductive condition
- Egg | larva | juvenile | adult | unknown; sex, maturity and reproductive evidence recorded separately Guides interpretation of feeding, growth and reproductive behaviour without inferring sex from size alone.
- Discharge profile
- Voltage in V, current in A where measured, pulse duration in ms and repetition rate in Hz; electrode geometry, load and conductivity Makes electrical measurements comparable and prevents peak voltage from being treated as a complete exposure measure.
- Behaviour during discharge
- Exploration | prey interaction | defensive interaction | social interaction | uncertain; observational evidence Separates measured electrical activity from an inferred behavioural function.
- Water and surface conditions
- Temperature in °C, dissolved oxygen in mg/L, conductivity in µS/cm, pH, depth in m; surface accessibility recorded separately Connects environmental conditions with respiration, behaviour and discharge measurement.
- Locality and population membership
- Georeferenced locality, river basin, observation date, population reference and wild or captive provenance Supports range interpretation and avoids using captive locations as native occurrence records.
- Conservation assessment
- Assessed taxon, IUCN category, assessment year, geographic scope and source; unresolved if unverified Prevents an assessment for one species or region from being applied to all electric eels.
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Also registered as vr.tr.electric-eel
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 6 bundles · 11 layers · 19 findings · 29 questions.
Identity and taxonomic boundary Resolve what the registry name denotes and how particular records are assigned to it.
Electric eel records can span different species concepts and cannot safely inherit one undifferentiated species identity.
Name and reference concept
Connect the registry entry to an explicit taxonomic interpretation.
Common-name scope
Keep the provisional Electrophorus interpretation explicit and distinguish it from a verified species assignment.
- Does the registry's originating record denote Electrophorus generally or E. electricus specifically? boundary
- Which taxonomic authority supports the accepted name, authority date, GBIF identifier and NCBI Taxonomy identifier? provenance
Identification and record level
Evaluate identification evidence while preserving the distinction between taxa, populations and individuals.
Supported species assignment
Attach identification confidence to diagnostic evidence and preserve uncertainty in historical records.
- Which diagnostic morphology, locality evidence or genetic result supports this individual's species assignment? provenance
- Does this claim concern an individual, a population or a taxon, and was its identification made under an older species concept? boundary
Electric organs and discharge Represent electrical capability through anatomy, measured signals and observed use.
Electrical behaviour is central to recognising electric eels and assessing interactions, but measurements depend on recording conditions.
Organ system and signal
Connect electric-organ evidence to reproducible discharge observations.
Anatomy-linked discharge
Distinguish the main, Hunter's and Sachs' organs without assigning a recorded signal to an organ solely by assumption. [Electric-organ study](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-85715-3)
- What anatomical or experimental evidence supports attributing this discharge to a particular electric organ? provenance
- What waveform, voltage, current and pulse timing were measured, with what electrode placement, load and water conductivity? measurement
Discharge function and context
Relate discharge sequences to observed behaviour without equating signal strength with intent.
Contextual electrical behaviour
Record body posture, nearby animals and preceding events alongside each discharge sequence.
- What observations distinguish exploration, prey interaction, defence or social interaction during this discharge sequence? definition
- How do pulse patterns change with body position, target distance and the individual's activity? measurement
Life history and individual condition Track development, reproduction, feeding and respiration in identified individuals.
Age, condition and behaviour affect the interpretation of electrical activity and the suitability of care actions.
Development and reproduction
Represent life stage and reproductive observations with species-specific evidence.
Stage, sex and maturity
Keep measured size separate from inferred age, sex and maturity, and investigate proposed sexual dimorphism.
- Which observations establish this individual's life stage, sex and reproductive maturity? provenance
- Are proposed differences in size, shape or behaviour between sexes supported for the identified species and life stage? boundary
Feeding, respiration and health
Follow prey intake, surfacing and observable condition as a time series.
Individual condition trend
Assess changes from the individual's established behaviour rather than treating a single missed feeding or quiet electrical period as a diagnosis.
- How have feeding success, body mass, surfacing intervals, swimming and visible injuries changed over time? measurement
- Which observed changes warrant environmental correction or assessment by a qualified aquatic-animal specialist? action
Habitat, range and populations Locate electric eels in drainage systems and assess the conditions experienced by particular populations.
Species identification, habitat interpretation and conservation judgments require locality-specific evidence.
Drainage and occurrence
Distinguish verified wild occurrences from captive records and uncertain historical identifications.
Native occurrence evidence
Tie range statements to identified records, basin geography and taxonomic interpretation.
- Which verified species records support native occurrence in this river basin? provenance
- Is this locality a wild occurrence, captive holding, translocation or an unresolved record? boundary
Aquatic conditions and access
Assess water conditions, seasonal change and access to the surface.
Habitat condition evidence
Record actual conditions separately from researched tolerance limits or husbandry targets.
- What are the temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, depth and surface-access conditions at the observation time? measurement
- Which species- and life-stage-specific evidence supports interpreting those conditions as suitable or problematic? provenance
Conservation and permitted interaction Connect population evidence and individual condition to justified human actions.
Conservation labels, electrical exposure and welfare constraints apply at different levels and must inform actions separately.
Assessment and local pressure
Associate conservation assessments with their exact taxonomic and geographic scope.
Scoped conservation evidence
Preserve assessment dates and distinguish local pressures from evidence of population decline.
- What is the verified IUCN category and assessment year for the identified taxon, and does the assessment use the relevant species concept? provenance
- What local evidence links habitat alteration, capture or other pressures to changes in this population? measurement
Observation, care and movement
Determine whether proposed interactions are supported by appropriate expertise, conditions and permissions.
Interaction decision
Evaluate a proposed action using electrical exposure pathways, animal condition, surface access and destination suitability.
- Can the objective be achieved through remote observation, and what specialist provisions are needed if direct interaction is necessary? action
- Before capture, sampling or movement, what current permissions, welfare provisions and destination conditions must be verified? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
A model that cannot be lined up against existing standards, identifiers and practice cannot be adopted by anyone who already uses them.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Check these first
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- This description covers the common-name group Electrophorus; the registry should confirm whether it instead intends Electrophorus electricus specifically.
- Verify current species acceptance, precise distributions, database identifiers and species-specific IUCN categories with assessment years; no conservation status is asserted here.
- Size and discharge values are approximate recall, not universal characteristics; life-stage differences and sexual dimorphism need species-specific checking.
- Which of these check these first hold for the sense of electric eel this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Kinds and varieties
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Electrophorus electricus
- Electrophorus voltai
- Electrophorus varii
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of electric eel this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- International Code of Zoological Nomenclature - Electrophorus electricus (Linnaeus, 1766) - A species name historically applied more broadly to electric eels; the common name also covers other Electrophorus species.
- GBIF taxon key - Numeric taxon identifier - Genus and species records have separate identifiers; exact values are not supplied from recall.
- NCBI Taxonomy - Numeric TaxID - Identifies a taxonomic record, not an individual fish or a population.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of electric eel this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature issues the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature governing zoological names.
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of electric eel this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Research on bioelectricity, electrocytes and the evolution of electric organs.
- Research on electrolocation and electrically mediated prey capture.
- Public aquarium education and display under specialized husbandry.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of electric eel this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Adult total length - Approximately 1-2, depending on species and maturity; large individuals can exceed 2 - m
- Strong electric discharge potential - Several hundred volts; an approximately 860 V maximum has been reported for Electrophorus voltai - V
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of electric eel this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Strong discharges can cause pain and involuntary muscle contraction; incapacitation in water creates a drowning hazard.
- Discharge voltage alone does not establish injury severity: current, contact geometry, water conductivity and exposure duration matter.
- Electric eels breathe atmospheric air and can suffocate if prevented from reaching the surface.
- Older records identified as Electrophorus electricus may combine species now distinguished within the genus.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of electric eel this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- The genus is native to tropical South American fresh waters.
- Species distributions differ across the Amazon region and adjacent drainage systems; locality matters when interpreting older records.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of electric eel this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- True eels - True eels belong to Anguilliformes; electric eels belong to Gymnotiformes despite their elongated appearance.
- Other electric knifefishes - Many other gymnotiform fishes produce weak sensing and communication signals; Electrophorus also produces powerful discharges for prey capture and defence.
- Electric catfishes - Electric catfishes belong to Siluriformes and evolved their electric organs independently.
- An individual electric eel - An individual is one organism with its own age, size and health; a species is a taxon, and a population is a geographically and reproductively connected group.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of electric eel this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
What the second pass must settle
- Does vr.tr.electric-eel originate from a genus-level common-name concept or a species-specific E. electricus record?
- What are the currently accepted species names, complete nomenclatural authorities and dates, and verified GBIF and NCBI Taxonomy mappings for the intended scope?
- Which IUCN assessments, assessment years and native-range records remain applicable after accounting for species revisions?
- Which species-specific evidence establishes sexual dimorphism, life-stage transitions, reproductive behaviour and environmental requirements?
- How comparable are published discharge measurements across species, body sizes, electrode configurations and water conditions, and which conclusions remain unsupported?