ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

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Torpedinides or torpedoes (Torpedinidae) are a family of marine cartilaginous fish in the Atlantic (including the Mediterranean), Indian and Pacific, with the discoidal body, dorsoventral flattened, equipped with electrical organs that produce electrical discharges that kill their prey.

Description
Torpedoes are medium sized soft and flascan fish (total length up to about 180 cm, maximum weight 90 kg, but most species have a total length of less than 1 m). The torpedinide body is very flattened dorsoventral and surrounded by rounded pectoral fins, it has a discoidal shape: the head, trunk and enlarged pectoral fins form a more or less circular disc. The anterior contour of the truncated or cracked disc.

Extremely short red; missing or reduced rostral cartilage; Small and close eyes and spikes on the top of the head; the rear edge of smooth or tentacle-equipped spiracles. The transverse and relatively large nostrils communicate with the mouth through a trench, they are closer to the mouth than to the end of the rostrum, their welded medial edges form a smooth cross-sectional nasal curtain that almost completely covers the upper jaw. The mouth is quite small and clearly arched bounded by long longitudinal trench. Numerous small, monocuspid, paving-shaped teeth form bands along both jaws.

Very thick pectoral fins towards their edges and elongated back to the origin of single pelvic fins. The propterium of pectoral fins is completely welded on the sides of the head The two shoulder blades are joined together above the spine. Thick tail, very massive, scvaliform, lashed to the base, shorter than the body, with a narrow skin fold along the lower edge. The tail carries to its top 2 dorsal fins, the first larger than the second, partly or wholly above the pelvic fins base. On the sides of the tail a wide skin expansion. Big caudal swimmer, almost triangular. The anal swimmer is missing. The skin is very soft, smooth, completely bare, without scales and thorns.

On the back there are two well-developed and powerful reniform electrical organs that border the head throughout its length and protrude on the surface of the body, being visible to the outside. Electric organs can produce powerful electrical discharges that knock out animals larger than these fish. Electrical discharge to larger species can be dangerous even for humans.

Color: the dorsal surface of the torpedinides is uniformly closed, or with all kinds of light and dark ornaments (oceans, spots, beaches or marbles) on different shades in brown; the ventral surface is white, often with the pelvic disc and fins bounded by dark colors.

Geographical spread and ecology
Torpedoes spread in tempera waters