''Aplocheilus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

killifish A killifish is any of various oviparous (egg-laying) cyprinodontiform fish (including families Aplocheilidae, Cyprinodontidae, Fundulidae, Profundulidae and Valenciidae). All together, there are 1,270 species of killifish, the biggest famil ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Aplocheilidae Aplocheilidae, the Asian killifishes or Asian rivulines, is a family (biology), family of fish in the order (biology), order Cyprinodontiformes found in Asia. Some authorities use this family-group name, which is well-established, for a single lu ...

. Their native range is in

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

, from

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...

and

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, and from

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. Several species, especially the striped panchax, ''A. lineatus'', are important aquarium fishes.

Etymology

The name ''Aplocheilus'' is composed of the Greek words ' meaning "simplicity", and ' meaning "lip".

Species

The currently recognized species in this genus are: * '' Aplocheilus andamanicus'' (

Köhler Köhler is a German surname, referring to a man making charcoal from wood. Geographical distribution As of 2014, 96.2% of all known bearers of the surname ''Köhler'' were residents of Germany (frequency 1:641) and 1.5% of Austria (1:4,238). ...

, 1906) * '' Aplocheilus armatus'' ( van Hasselt, 1823) * ''

Aplocheilus blockii ''Aplocheilus blockii'' or the green panchax is a species of fish native to waters around India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. Description ''Aplocheilus blockii'' measures 6 centimeters long. It frequently inhabits coastal habitats that either cont ...

'' J. P. Arnold, 1911 (green panchax) * ''

Aplocheilus dayi The Ceylon killifish (UDA HANDAYA / උඩ හඳයා)(''Aplocheilus dayi'') is a species of killifish endemic to Sri Lanka. This species grows to a length of . Males and females have a black dot at the rear end of the base of the dorsal fin. T ...

'' Steindachner, 1892 (Ceylon killifish) * ''

Aplocheilus kirchmayeri ''Aplocheilus kirchmayeri'' is a species of killifish native to India. It was named after the aquarist J. Kirchmayer. Its validity as a species has been questioned, with some experts believing that it is a subspecies of '' Aplocheilus blockii'' ...

'' Berkenkamp & Etzel, 1986 * '' Aplocheilus lineatus'' (

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a ...

, 1846) (striped panchax) * ''

Aplocheilus panchax The blue panchax or whitespot (''Aplocheilus panchax'') is a common freshwater fish found in a large variety of habitats due to its high adaptability. This species is native to southern Asia from Pakistan to Indonesia. It has been discovered ...

'' ( F. Hamilton, 1822) (blue panchax) * '' Aplocheilus parvus'' ( Sundara Raj, 1916) (dwarf panchax) * '' Aplocheilus werneri'' Meinken, 1966 (Werner's killifish)

References

Aplocheilidae * Freshwater fish genera Taxa named by John McClelland (doctor) {{Cyprinodontiformes-stub