Science. 1987 Jul 3;237(4810):81-3. doi: 10.1126/science.237.4810.81.
Deep-water sampling of the Orinoco River main channel resulted in the collection of an unexpectedly high abundance and diversity of specialized fishes. Twenty-eight of the more than 60 species collected belong to the Gymnotiformes(New World electric or knife fishes). One of the more numerous of these, a recently described species of the genus Rhabdolichops, consumes large numbers of very small planktonic Crustacea and insect larvae. These items are captured in the very swift, turbid, and deep waters of the Orinoco. Although the strong dependence of the river food web on terrestrial and floodplain food sources is well known, the specialized capabilities of Rhabdolichops and of other fishes that occur with it indicate a significant extension of the river food web into the main channel.
对奥里诺科河主河道的深水采样结果表明，这里栖息着数量惊人、种类繁多的特有鱼类。在采集到的 60 多种鱼类中，有 28 种属于电鳗目（新大陆电鳗或刀鱼）。其中数量较多的一种是最近才被描述的 Rhabdolichops 属物种，以大量非常小的浮游甲壳类动物和昆虫幼虫为食。这些食物是在奥里诺科河湍急、浑浊且深的水域中捕获的。尽管人们熟知河流食物网强烈依赖于陆地和洪泛平原的食物来源，但 Rhabdolichops 以及与之共生的其他鱼类的特殊能力表明，河流食物网已经显著延伸到了主河道。
