The Heptapteridae, or three-barbeled catfishes, are a family of

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...

that originate from the Americas. Most species are restricted to South America, but '' Imparfinis lineatus'', '' Nemuroglanis panamensis'' and ''

Pimelodella ''Pimelodella'' is a genus of three-barbeled catfishes. ''Pimelodella'' is the largest genus in the family. However, it is in need of Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic revision. This genus is found on both sides of the Andes, ranging from Panama to ...

chagresi'' are native to

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

, and '' Rhamdia'' species occur as far north as

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. The name Heptapteridae is derived from

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

, ''hepta'' meaning seven and ''pteron'' meaning fin. The diversity of this family is poorly known, and many species are yet to be described. So far, some 211 species have been described. This family is equivalent to the previously recognized Rhamdiinae, a subfamily of the family

Pimelodidae The Pimelodidae, commonly known as the long-whiskered catfishes, are a family of catfishes (order Siluriformes). Taxonomy The family Pimelodidae has undergone much revision. Currently, it contains about 30 genera and about 90 recognized and know ...

. However, molecular evidence shows this family is a part of the superfamily Pimelodoidea along with the Pimelodidae,

Pseudopimelodidae The Pseudopimelodidae are a small family (about 40 species) of catfishes known as the bumblebee catfishes or dwarf marbled catfishes. Some of these fish are popular aquarium fish. Taxonomy This family was formerly a subfamily of Pimelodidae. Pse ...

, and '' Conorhynchos''. The skin of these fish is usually naked (scaleless). They exhibit three pairs of barbels. They have a large adipose fin, and their caudal fin is deeply forked. However, no external characteristics unique to this family allow it to be differentiated from the Pimelodidae. The Heptapteridae include a few

troglobitic A troglobite (or, formally, troglobiont) is an animal species, or population of a species, strictly bound to underground habitats, such as caves. These are separate from species that mainly live in above-ground habitats but are also able to live u ...

species in the genera ''Pimelodella'', ''Rhamdia'', '' Rhamdiopsis'', and '' Taunayia''.Bockmann; and Castro (2010). The blind catfish from the caves of Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil (Siluriformes: Heptapteridae): description, anatomy, phylogenetic relationships, natural history, and biogeography. Neotrop. Ichthyol. 8(4).

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q135710 Catfish families Taxa named by Theodore Gill