Revised 26 Jan. 2023
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Tetronarce Gill 1862 tetro, misprint for tetrá (Gr. τετρά) four, referring to “four-sided form” of T. occidentalis (per Gill 1896), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to how the disc (two pectoral fins) and two pelvic fins appear as four sides (or lobes) when seen from above; narce, from nárkē (Gr. νάρκη), numbness or torpor, and an ancient Greek word for any electric fish that causes a numbing sensation when touched

Tetronarce californica (Ayres 1855) –ica (L.), belonging to: California (USA), “a very interesting addition to the fauna of California”

Tetronarce cowleyi Ebert, Haas & Carvalho 2015 in honor of Paul D. Cowley, Principal Aquatic Biologist, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, for his contributions to the study of fishes in southern Africa

Tetronarce formosa (Haas & Ebert 2006) connoting both Ilha Formosa, historical name of type locality (Taiwan), and the Latin word for beautiful, referring to purplish-brown coloration of fresh specimens

Tetronarce nobiliana (Bonaparte 1835) –ana (L.), belonging to: Leopoldo Nobili (1784–1835), Italian physicist who studied animal electricity

Tetronarce occidentalis (Storer 1843) Latin for western, referring to its distribution in the Western Atlantic (compared with distribution of the similar T. nobiliana in the Eastern Atlantic)

Tetronarce puelcha (Lahille 1926) etymology not explained; since name is used for other Argentine taxa (e.g., bivalves), it may refer to the Puelche people and/or territory of central Argentina (this ray described from Buenos Aires), which existed prior to the arrival of Europeans

Tetronarce tokionis Tanaka 1908 –is, Latin genitive singular of: Tokyo, Japan, where holotype was obtained at a fish market

Tetronarce tremens (de Buen 1959) Latin for trembling, presumably referring to its ability to produce an electric shock

Torpedo Duméril 1806 presumably tautonymous with Raja torpedo Linnaeus 1758 (no species mentioned); Latin word historically used for any electric fish, derived from torpere, meaning numbness or paralysis

Torpedo adenensis Carvalho, Stehmann & Manilo 2002 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Gulf of Aden, northwestern Indian Ocean, only known area of occurrence

Torpedo alexandrinsis Mazhar 1987 -[e]nsis, Latin suffix denoting place: Alexandria, Egypt, eastern Mediterranean Sea (probably erroneous, from northern Red Sea) type locality [species inquirenda, provisionally included here]

Torpedo andersoni Bullis 1962 in honor of American fishery biologist William W. Anderson (1909–1993), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “colleague and mentor, whose labors have contributed immeasurably to our knowledge of the marine fauna of the southeastern United States”

Torpedo bauchotae Cadenat, Capapé & Desoutter 1978 in honor of Marie-Louise Bauchot (b. 1928), ichthyologist and assistant manager, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris)

Torpedo fuscomaculata Peters 1855 fuscus (L.), dusky, dark or swarthy; maculata (L.), spotted, referring to numerous closely packed dark brown spots seen on some specimens

Torpedo mackayana Metzelaar 1919 –ana (L.), belonging to: Donald Jacob Baron Mackay (1839–1921), Dutch-born British colonial administrator and governor in India; he was one of the promoters of the expedition that collected holotype in the Dutch West Indies (1904–1905)

Torpedo marmorata Risso 1810 Latin for marbled, referring to mottled or marbled coloration

Torpedo panthera Olfers 1831 Latin for panther, referring to its leopard-like spots

Torpedo sinuspersici Olfers 1831 sinus (L.), bay or gulf; persici (L.), of Persia, described from the Persian Gulf

Torpedo suessii Steindachner 1898 patronym not identified but probably in honor of Steindachner’s friend, geologist Eduard Suess (1831–1914), who suggested that Steindachner study fossil fishes

Torpedo torpedo (Linnaeus 1758) Latin word historically used for any electric fish, derived from torpere, meaning numbness or paralysis

Torpedo zugmayeri Engelhardt 1912 in honor of Austrian ichthyologist-herpetologist Erich Zugmayer (1879-1938), Bavarian State Zoological Collection (Munich), who collected holotype [treated as a junior synonym of T. sinuspersici by some workers]