Genus · Knifefishes

Megadontognathus

Megadontognathus is a genus with 2 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Knifefishes section, recorded from Brazil and Venezuela. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
2
Adult sizes
10 in
IUCN assessed
2 of 2 · 2 threatened
Recorded from
2 countries

About the genus

Megadontognathus is a genus of weakly electric ghost knifefish in family Apteronotidae, the group within the South American order Gymnotiformes that generates a continuous weak electric field for navigation and communication rather than for defense. The genus is known from river systems in Venezuela and Brazil, and like other apteronotids it has the family's signature body plan: an elongate, laterally compressed trunk that tapers to a whip-like tail, no dorsal fin, and a long electric-organ-bearing fin running most of the length of the underside. The atlas covers 2 species, both around 10 in, a larger size than many of the genus's ghost-knife relatives.

Megadontognathus has essentially no presence in the aquarium trade. Ghost knifefish popularity in the hobby centers on a handful of easier, better-known apteronotids such as the black ghost knifefish, and species this poorly known stay in the domain of ichthyological collections rather than fish stores. The conservation picture drawn from the atlas is a concern for a genus this small: of the two species covered, one is assessed as Critically Endangered and the other as Vulnerable, pointing to real pressure on the rivers these fish depend on even though detailed threat data are sparse.

IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered · 1 Vulnerable · 1

The 2 species

Every Megadontognathus recorded in this atlas. Each card links to a full researched profile — distribution, water parameters, and aquarium care, cited to primary sources.

Mago-Leccia, 1994

10 in TL · CR

Campos-da-Paz, 1999

10 in TL · VU

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How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Megadontognathus. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/megadontognathus/

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