''Kryptopterus'' is a
genus of
catfishes belonging to the
family Siluridae. 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. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...
throughout
Southeast Asia. The
scientific name
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
comes from
Ancient Greek ''kryptós'' (κρυπτός, "hidden") + ''ptéryx'' (πτέρυξ, "fin"). It refers to the reduced or even entirely absent
dorsal fin 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 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 ...
(''K. vitreolus''), which is the "glass catfish" most often seen in the
aquarium
An aquarium (plural: ''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. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...
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 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'' (πτέρυ ...
'' Ng, 2002
* ''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, 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'' (πτέρυ ...
'' 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'' (πτέρυ ...
'' 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 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'' (πτέρυ ...
'' (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'' (πτέρυ ...
'' Rendahl
Carl Hialmar Rendahl (born Jönköping 26 December 1891; died Stockholm 2 May 1969) was a Swedish zoologist, cartoonist and painter. He is most famous in Sweden for his authorship of ''Fågelboken'', the "bird book" which sold 60,000 copies.
Renda ...
( de), 1922
* '' Kryptopterus macrocephalus'' (Bleeker Bleeker is a Dutch occupational surname. Bleeker is an old spelling of ''(linnen)bleker'' ("linen bleacher").Kryptopterus minor
''Kryptopterus minor'' is a small species of Asian glass catfish from the Kapuas River basin in Borneo, Indonesia.Ng, H-H. and M. Kottelat (2013). ''After eighty years of misidentification, a name for the glass catfish (Teleostei: Siluridae)'' Z ...
'' Roberts
Roberts may refer to:
People
* Roberts (given name), a Latvian masculine given name
* Roberts (surname), a popular surname, especially among the Welsh
Places
* Roberts (crater), a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon
;United Stat ...
, 1989 (Ghost catfish, glass catfish)
* ''Kryptopterus mononema
''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 palembangensis
''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 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
''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. ...
'' Ng, Wirjoatmodjo & Hadiaty, 2004
* ''Kryptopterus schilbeides
''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 Bleeker is a Dutch occupational surname. Bleeker is an old spelling of ''(linnen)bleker'' ("linen bleacher").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
Maurice Kottelat (born 16 July 1957 in Delémont, Switzerland[C ...](_blank)
, 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 genera, in particular ''Phalacronotus
''Phalacronotus'' is a genus of Siluridae, sheatfishes native to Asia
Species
There are currently four recognized species in this genus:
*''Phalacronotus apogon'' (Pieter Bleeker, Bleeker, 1851) (Metallic sheatfish)
*''Phalacronotus bleekeri'' ( ...
'' 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
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