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Pacific electric ray females are larger than their male counterparts, measuring 164 cm (65 in) in width (their pectoral disc) and a total of 137 cm (54 in) in length. Male Pacific electric rays are 92 cm (36 in) in width and 110 cm (43 in) in length. [15] Both sex's pectoral fin disc width is roughly 1.2 greater than their length. [13]
Electric rays have patches of modified muscle cells called electroplaques that make up an electric organ. These generate an electric gradient, similar to the normal electric potential across most cell membranes , but amplified greatly by its concentration into a very small area.
The electric rays are a group of rays, flattened cartilaginous fish with enlarged pectoral fins, composing the order Torpediniformes / t ɔːr ˈ p ɛ d ɪ n ɪ f ɔːr m iː z /. They are known for being capable of producing an electric discharge , ranging from 8 to 220 volts , depending on species, used to stun prey and for defense. [ 2 ]
A ray can emit a shock into the body of a prey animal to stun it and make it easier to capture and eat, or into the body of a predator. Tissue from electric rays is often used in neurobiological research because of its unique properties. Torpedo rays are flat like other rays, disc-shaped, with caudal fins that vary in length.
In biology, the electric organ is an organ that an electric fish uses to create an electric field. Electric organs are derived from modified muscle or in some cases nerve tissue , called electrocytes, and have evolved at least six times among the elasmobranchs and teleosts .
In addition, while traditional phylogenies often find electric rays to be the basalmost batoids, followed by the Rhinopristiformes, this analysis finds a polytomy between skates, electric rays, and thornbacks at the base of Batoidea, with weak support for skates being the actual most basal lineage, followed by a clade uniting the electric rays ...
These electric fields are generated by all animals due to the activity of their nerves and muscles. A second source of electric fields in fish is the ion pump associated with osmoregulation at the gill membrane. This field is modulated by the opening and closing of the mouth and gill slits.
The common torpedo (Torpedo torpedo), also known as ocellate torpedo or eyed electric ray, is a species of electric ray in the family Torpedinidae.It is found in the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic Ocean from the Bay of Biscay to Angola, and is a benthic fish typically encountered over soft substrates in fairly shallow, coastal waters.