''Kryptopterus'' 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 nom ...

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive ...

es belonging to 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 ...

Siluridae Siluridae is the nominate family of catfishes in the 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 diverse in Southeast Asia, beyond ...

. They are found in freshwater throughout

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 south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

. The scientific name comes from

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

''kryptós'' (κρυπτός, "hidden") + ''ptéryx'' (πτέρυξ, "fin"). It refers to the reduced or even entirely absent

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...

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 (''K. vitreolus''), which is the "glass catfish" most often seen in the aquarium 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 In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

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'' Ng, 2002 * '' Kryptopterus bicirrhis'' (

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 ...

, 1840) * '' Kryptopterus cheveyi'' Durand, 1940 * '' Kryptopterus cryptopterus'' ( Bleeker, 1851) * '' Kryptopterus dissitus'' Ng, 2001 (Indochinese sheatfish) * ''

Kryptopterus geminus ''Kryptopterus geminus'' is a species of catfish belonging to the family Siluridae. It can be distinguished from all its congeners, with the exception of '' Kryptopterus cryptopterus'', by the almost flat dorsal profile with no concavity behind th ...

'' Ng, 2003 * ''

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'' (πτέρυ� ...

'' Ng, 2002 (Maeklong sheatfish) * ''

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'' (πτέρυ� ...

'' ( Bleeker, 1851) * ''

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'' (πτέρυ� ...

'' ( Bleeker, 1852) (Long-barbel sheatfish) * ''

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'' (πτέρυ� ...

'' Rendahl ( de), 1922 * '' Kryptopterus macrocephalus'' ( Bleeker, 1858) (Striped glass catfish) * '' Kryptopterus minor'' Roberts, 1989 (Ghost catfish, glass catfish) * '' Kryptopterus mononema'' ( Bleeker, 1846) * '' Kryptopterus palembangensis'' ( Bleeker, 1852) * ''

Kryptopterus paraschilbeides ''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'' (πτέρυ� ...

'' Ng, 2003 * '' Kryptopterus piperatus'' Ng, Wirjoatmodjo & Hadiaty, 2004 * '' Kryptopterus schilbeides'' ( Bleeker, 1858) * ''

Kryptopterus vitreolus ''Kryptopterus vitreolus'', known in the aquarium trade traditionally as the glass catfishSeriouslyFish: Kryptopterus vitreolus.' Retrieved 18 July 2014. and also as the ghost catfish or phantom catfish, is a small species of Asian glass catfish ...

'' 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

genera, in particular '' Phalacronotus'' but also '' Micronema'' and ''

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 ...

''.

References

Siluridae Freshwater fish genera Catfish genera Taxa named by Pieter Bleeker {{catfish-stub