The striped panchax (''Aplocheilus lineatus'') is a

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 ...

killifish A killifish is any of various oviparous (egg-laying) cyprinodontiform fish (including families Aplocheilidae, Cyprinodontidae, Fundulidae, Profundulidae and Valenciidae). All together, there are 1,270 species of killifish, the biggest family ...

, of the genus ''

Aplocheilus ''Aplocheilus'' is a genus of killifish in the family Aplocheilidae. Their native range is in South and Southeast Asia, from Pakistan to Vietnam and Malaysia, and from Nepal to Sri Lanka. Several species, especially the striped panchax, ''A. li ...

''. An aquarium variant of this species with a more yellowish coloration is known as golden wonder killifish. The striped panchax inhabits

fresh Fresh or FRESH may refer to: People *DJ Fresh (born 1977), UK-based drum and bass artist *DJ Fresh (producer), US-based R&B producer born Marqus Brown Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Fresh'' (1994 film), a crime film * ''Fresh'' (200 ...

and

brackish water 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 ...

s of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and Sri Lanka. It is found in streams, rivers, swamps, and paddy fields. This fish grows to a length of . Most male ''A. lineatus'' measure around , but the fish can grow up to under excellent conditions, especially if brought to the end of its life expectancy, around 6 years. It possesses a

parietal eye A parietal eye, also known as a third eye or pineal eye, is a part of the epithalamus present in some vertebrates. The eye is located at the top of the head, is photoreceptive and is associated with the pineal gland, regulating circadian rhyth ...

which permits it to see prey insects and predators above it on the surface. ''A. lineatus'' can jump very well.

References

Aplocheilus Taxa named by Achille Valenciennes Fish described in 1846 {{Cyprinodontiformes-stub