Tab. 1. Number of valid gymnotiform genera and species (genera/species) recognized in previous compilations. Günther, Eigenmann and Ellis included all taxa within the Gymnotidae (except a monotypic Electrophoridae); taxa broken down here by current treatment of families. Mago-Leccia recognized the five listed families but separated Electrophorus into a separate family, which is placed here within the Gymnotidae; Mago-Leccia recognized three additional subspecies of Sternopygus aequilabiatus, which are not included in the totals. Albert, Crampton included unnamed species that they considered valid; those species are not included in the totals for each family, but are noted in parentheses.
Günther, 1870 Eigenmann, Ward, 1905 Eigenmann, 1910 Ellis, 1913 Mago-Leccia, 1994 Reis et al., 2003 Albert, Crampton, 2005 This list
Apteronotidae 1/8 6/14 4/14 7/15 12/41 13/44 13/45 (16) 14/93
Gymnotidae 2/2 1/1 2/3 2/2 2/10 2/19 2/33 (3) 2/41
Hypopomidae 0/0 2/3 2/3 2/3 6/14 7/14 7/16 (13) 6/34
Rhamphichthyidae 1/6 1/3 1/3 2/2 2/9 3/13 3/12 (0) 5/27
Sternopygidae 1/4 2/8 2/9 2/5 5/23 5/27 6/29 (6) 7/45
(Total) 4/20 12/29 11/35 15/27 27/97 30/117 31/135 (38) 34/240