Family NARKIDAE Fowler 1934 (Sleeper Rays)

Revised 30 Jan. 2023
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Electrolux Compagno & Heemstra 2007 electro-, referring to its well-developed electrogenic properties, and lux (L.), light, referring to how the discovery of this species sheds light on the rich and poorly known fish diversity of the Western Indian Ocean; in addition, its “vigorous sucking action” while feeding “may rival a well-known electrical device used to suck the detritus from carpets, furniture, and other dust-gathering surfaces in modern homes”

Electrolux addisoni Compagno & Heemstra 2007 in honor of Mark Addison (b. 1967), Managing Director of Blue Wilderness dive charters of Widenham, KwaZulu-Natal, for collecting holotype and instigating capture of paratype; in addition, his knowledge of the marine fishes of South Africa contributed to the authors’ survey research

Heteronarce Regan 1921 héteros (Gr. ἕτερος), different, i.e., a different kind of Narcine (original genus of H. mollis)

Heteronarce bentuviai (Baranes & Randall 1989) in honor of Polish-born Israeli ichthyologist Adam Ben-Tuvia (1919–1999), Hebrew University of Jerusalem, for his valuable contributions to the knowledge of Israeli fishes

Heteronarce garmani Regan 1921 in honor of American ichthyologist-herpetologist Samuel Garman (1843–1927), Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, for his work on selachian fishes

Heteronarce mollis (Lloyd 1907) Latin for soft, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to the overall soft-body characteristic of electric rays

Narke Kaup 1826 nárkē (Gr. νάρκη), numbness or torpor, and an ancient Greek word for any electric fish that causes a numbing sensation when touched

Narke capensis (Gmelin 1789)ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: described from the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa

Narke dipterygia (Bloch & Schneider 1801) di-, from dis (L.), in two; pterygia, from pterúgion (Gr. πτερύγιον), diminutive of pterýx (πτέρυξ), wing or fin, probably referring to a fold on each side of caudal fin (“cauda diptergyia”)

Narke japonica (Temminck & Schlegel 1850)ica (L.), belonging to: described from southern Japan

Temera Gray 1831 etymology not explained nor evident, perhaps a local name in Penang, Malaysia, type locality of T. hardwickii (Gray proposed several other generic names in the same publication, apparently based on local vernaculars, including Botia, Chaca and Raconda)

Temera hardwickii Gray 1831 in honor of English soldier and naturalist Thomas Hardwicke (1755–1835), who collected holotype

Typhlonarke Waite 1909 typhlós (Gr. τυφλός), blind, being sightless species related to Narke

Typhlonarke aysoni (Hamilton 1902) in honor of Lake Falconer Ayson (1855–1927), Chief Inspector of Fisheries for New Zealand, “in charge of the experimental trawling” during which holotype was collected