genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
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 ...
es belonging to the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Siluridae
Siluridae is the nominate family (biology), family of catfishes in the order (biology), order Siluriformes. About 105 living species of silurids are placed in 12 or 14 genera.
Although silurids occur across much of Europe and Asia, they are most ...
. They are found in
freshwater
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include non-salty mi ...
throughout
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
. The
scientific name
In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...
comes from
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...
''kryptós'' (κρυπτός, "hidden") + ''ptéryx'' (πτέρυξ, "fin"). It refers to the reduced or even entirely absent
dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates. Dorsal fins have evolved independently several times through convergent evolution adapting to marine environments, so the fins are not all homologous. They are found ...
of these catfishes.
These small- to medium-sized catfishes have opaque, transparent or translucent bodies, hence their common name Asian glass catfishes. Despite this name, only three described species have clearly transparent bodies: '' K. minor'', '' K. piperatus'' and '' K. vitreolus''.Ng, H-H. and M. Kottelat (2013). ''After eighty years of misidentification, a name for the glass catfish (Teleostei: Siluridae)'' Zootaxa 3630: 308–316. Most significant among these is the
ghost catfish
''Kryptopterus vitreolus'', known commonly as the glass catfish, the glass cat, the ghost catfish or the phantom catfish, is a small species of translucent-bodied, social glass catfish in the family Siluridae. It is commonly seen in captivity an ...
(''K. vitreolus''), which is the "glass catfish" most often seen in the
aquarium
An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...
fish trade. This species was initially confused with the larger glass catfish (''K. bicirrhis''; infrequent in aquarium trade) and subsequently with ''K. minor'' (essentially absent from aquarium trade). This matter was only fully resolved in 2013.SeriouslyFish: Kryptopterus vitreolus. ' Retrieved 18 July 2014.
Species
While 18
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
have been described as of 2013, the genus ''Kryptopterus'' is notoriously rich in
cryptic species
In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...
. A number of these have been recognized in recent years, and more are likely to follow:
* ''
Kryptopterus baramensis
''Kryptopterus'' is a genus of catfishes belonging to the family Siluridae. They are found in freshwater throughout Southeast Asia. The scientific name comes from Ancient Greek ''kryptós'' (κρυπτός, "hidden") + ''ptéryx'' (πτέρυξ, ...
Kryptopterus bicirrhis
''Kryptopterus bicirrhis'', often called the glass catfish, is an Asian glass catfish species of the genus ''Kryptopterus''. Until 1989, the concept of ''K. bicirrhis'' included its smaller relative ''Kryptopterus vitreolus'' ("ghost catfish"; o ...
'' (
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...
, 1840)
* ''
Kryptopterus cheveyi
''Kryptopterus'' is a genus of catfishes belonging to the family Siluridae. They are found in freshwater throughout Southeast Asia. The scientific name comes from Ancient Greek ''kryptós'' (κρυπτός, "hidden") + ''ptéryx'' (πτέρυξ, ...
'' Durand, 1940
* ''
Kryptopterus cryptopterus
''Kryptopterus cryptopterus'' (blue sheatfish) is a species of catfish, the type species of the genus ''Kryptopterus''. It can be distinguished from all its congeners, with the exception of the newly split '' Kryptopterus geminus'', by the almost ...
'' (
Bleeker Bleeker is a Dutch occupational surname. Bleeker is an old spelling of ''(linnen)bleker'' ("linen bleacher").Kryptopterus dissitus
''Kryptopterus'' is a genus of catfishes belonging to the family Siluridae. They are found in freshwater throughout Southeast Asia. The scientific name comes from Ancient Greek ''kryptós'' (κρυπτός, "hidden") + ''ptéryx'' (πτέρυξ, ...
Kryptopterus hesperius
''Kryptopterus'' is a genus of catfishes belonging to the family Siluridae. They are found in freshwater throughout Southeast Asia. The scientific name comes from Ancient Greek ''kryptós'' (κρυπτός, "hidden") + ''ptéryx'' (πτέρυξ, ...
Kryptopterus lais
''Kryptopterus'' is a genus of catfishes belonging to the family Siluridae. They are found in freshwater throughout Southeast Asia. The scientific name comes from Ancient Greek ''kryptós'' (κρυπτός, "hidden") + ''ptéryx'' (πτέρυξ, ...
'' (
Bleeker Bleeker is a Dutch occupational surname. Bleeker is an old spelling of ''(linnen)bleker'' ("linen bleacher").Kryptopterus limpok
''Kryptopterus'' is a genus of catfishes belonging to the family Siluridae. They are found in freshwater throughout Southeast Asia. The scientific name comes from Ancient Greek ''kryptós'' (κρυπτός, "hidden") + ''ptéryx'' (πτέρυξ, ...
'' (
Bleeker Bleeker is a Dutch occupational surname. Bleeker is an old spelling of ''(linnen)bleker'' ("linen bleacher").Kryptopterus lumholtzi
''Kryptopterus'' is a genus of catfishes belonging to the family Siluridae. They are found in freshwater throughout Southeast Asia. The scientific name comes from Ancient Greek ''kryptós'' (κρυπτός, "hidden") + ''ptéryx'' (πτέρυξ, ...
Bleeker Bleeker is a Dutch occupational surname. Bleeker is an old spelling of ''(linnen)bleker'' ("linen bleacher").Kryptopterus minor'' Roberts, 1989 (Ghost catfish, glass catfish)
* '' Kryptopterus mononema'' (
Bleeker Bleeker is a Dutch occupational surname. Bleeker is an old spelling of ''(linnen)bleker'' ("linen bleacher").Kryptopterus palembangensis'' (
Kryptopterus piperatus
''Kryptopterus piperatus'' is a species of Asian glass catfish from rivers in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. It was first described in 2004. True ''K. piperatus'' is rarely (if ever) seen in the aquarium trade, while ''K. vitreolus'' is common ...
Bleeker Bleeker is a Dutch occupational surname. Bleeker is an old spelling of ''(linnen)bleker'' ("linen bleacher").Kryptopterus vitreolus
''Kryptopterus vitreolus'', known commonly as the glass catfish, the glass cat, the ghost catfish or the phantom catfish, is a small species of translucent-bodied, social glass catfish in the family Siluridae. It is commonly seen in captivity an ...
'' H. H. Ng & Kottelat, 2013 (Ghost catfish, phantom catfish, ghost fish, glass catfish)Ng, H.H. & Kottelat, M. (2013): After eighty years of misidentification, a name for the glass catfish (Teleostei: Siluridae). ''Zootaxa, 3630 (2): 308–316.'',
Some species formerly placed in ''Kryptopterus'' are nowadays in other
Siluridae
Siluridae is the nominate family (biology), family of catfishes in the order (biology), order Siluriformes. About 105 living species of silurids are placed in 12 or 14 genera.
Although silurids occur across much of Europe and Asia, they are most ...
genera, in particular ''
Phalacronotus
''Phalacronotus'' is a genus of sheatfishes native to Asia
Species
There are currently four recognized species in this genus:
*''Phalacronotus apogon'' ( Bleeker, 1851) (Metallic sheatfish)
*'' Phalacronotus bleekeri'' ( Günther, 1864) (Bleeke ...
Pterocryptis
''Pterocryptis'' is a genus of sheatfish. These fish are medium-sized catfishes usually found in fast flowing mountain streams throughout India, southern China and Southeast Asia. There are two cavefish species in the genus, ''P. buccata'' and ' ...