Common torpedo  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. Growing to long, this species has a nearly circular pectoral fin disc and a short, thick tail with two dorsal fins of nearly equal size and a large caudal fin. It can be identified by the prominent blue spots on its back, which usually number five but may vary from zero to nine, as well as by the small knobs on the rims of its spiracles. For attack and defense, the common torpedo can deliver a strong electric shock of up to 200 volts. It is a solitary, nocturnal ambush predator that feeds mainly on bony fishes and crustaceans. This species is aplacental viviparous, with the developing embryos nourished by yolk and histotroph ("uterine milk") produced by the mother. Females produce litters of up to 28 young every year in late summer or autumn, after a gestation period of 4–8 months; the specifics vary between geographical regions. The common torpedo's shock is painful but otherwise of little danger to humans. Its electrogenic properties led it to be used in medicine by the ancient Greeks and Romans. In modern times, it has no economic value and is mostly discarded when caught as bycatch in fisheries. The impact of fishing on its population is uncertain, and pending more data the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed it as Data Deficient. The common torpedo and other electric rays were familiar to the peoples of classical antiquity. "Torpedo" was the Roman name for electric rays, derived from Latin "torpere" meaning "to be numb". Carl Linnaeus, known as the "father of taxonomy", scientifically described the common torpedo as "Raja torpedo" in the 1758 tenth edition of his "Systema Naturae". However, the common torpedo also appeared in at least 52 pre-Linnaean sources under various names such as "Torpedo", "Raja tota lævis", "Torpedo maculosa", and "Torpedo Sinûs Persici". These early accounts, including Linnaeus's, confounded the common torpedo with other electric ray species.