Phallostethidae, also known as the priapium fish, is a family of atheriniform fish native to freshwater and

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

habitats in

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 ...

. They are small, no more than in length, with partially translucent bodies. They are found in fresh and brackish water from

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and Sulawesi. They are named for a muscular organ found under the chin of males. This organ, which may possess small testicles, is used together with the pelvic fins to grasp the female during mating. Unlike most other fish, priapium fishes exhibit

internal fertilisation Internal fertilization is the union of an egg and sperm cell during sexual reproduction inside the female body. Internal fertilization, unlike its counterpart, external fertilization, brings more control to the female with reproduction. For intern ...

, although they are

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), a ...

Subdivision

The family Phallostethidae is divided into two

subfamilies In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

and four genera: * Subfamily

Phallostethinae Phallostethinae is a subfamily of fishes, one of two subfamilies in the family Phallostethidae, the priapumfishes. The species in this subfamily are characterised mainly by having highly protrusible jaws. The genus ''Neostethus'' appears to be t ...

Regan, 1916 ** Genus ''

Neostethus ''Neostethus'' is a genus of fishes in the family Phallostethidae, native to freshwater and brackish habitats in southeast Asia, with the majority of the species restricted to the Philippines. Species There are currently 12 recognized specie ...

'' Regan, 1916 ** Genus ''

Phallostethus ''Phallostethus'' is a small genus of fishes in the family Phallostethidae native to freshwater and brackish habitats in southeast Asia. Species The currently recognized species in this genus are: * ''Phallostethus cuulong'' Shibukawa, Đ. ...

'' Regan, 1916 ** Genus ''

Phenacostethus ''Phenacostethus'' is a genus of fishes in the family Phallostethidae found in freshwater and brackish habitats in southeast Asia. Species The currently recognized species in this genus are: * ''Phenacostethus posthon'' T. R. Roberts, 1971 * ...

Myers Myers as a surname has several possible origins, e.g. Old French ("physician"), Old English ("mayor"), and Old Norse ("marsh"). People *Abram F. Myers (born 1889), chair of the Federal Trade Commission and later general counsel and board chai ...

, 1928 * Subfamily

Gulaphallinae ''Gulaphallus'' is a genus of fishes in the family Phallostethidae, native to the Philippines. They are mainly found in freshwater habitats, but ''G. panayensis'' is from brackish and marine habitats. It is the only genus in the subfamily ...

Aurich Aurich (; East Frisian Low Saxon: ''Auerk'', West Frisian: ''Auwerk'', stq, Aurk) is a town in the East Frisian region of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Aurich and is the second largest City in East Frisia, both i ...

, 1937 ** Genus ''

Gulaphallus ''Gulaphallus'' is a genus of fishes in the family Phallostethidae, native to the Philippines. They are mainly found in freshwater habitats, but ''G. panayensis'' is from brackish and marine habitats. It is the only genus in the subfamily ...

'' Herre, 1925

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q536315 Atheriniformes Ray-finned fish families