Kryptopterus vitreolus

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Kryptopterus vitreolus
Kryptopterus.jpg
Glaswelse.jpg
Schooling group of Kryptopterus vitreolus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Siluridae
Genus: Kryptopterus
Species:
K. vitreolus
Binomial name
Kryptopterus vitreolus
Ng and Kottelat, 2013 [1]

Kryptopterus vitreolus, known commonly as the glass catfish, [1] [2] 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 and in the freshwater aquarium trade, although its official taxonomy is still debatable, and was only truly resolved in 2013. [1] Glass catfish are endemic to Thailand, where they inhabit rivers and streams south of the Isthmus of Kra that drain into the Gulf of Thailand and river basins in the Cardamom Mountains. [1] There are also unconfirmed reports from Penang, Malaysia. [2]

Contents

Until 1989, K. vitreolus was considered to be the same as another "glass catfish", Kryptopterus bicirrhis , a larger species that is not commonly seen in captivity. [1] Additionally, K. vitreolus was believed to be the same as K. minor until 2013, when it was established that captive specimens actually represented another species, which is now named as K. vitreolus. [1] The true K. minor, which is restricted to Borneo, has rarely, if ever, entered the aquarium trade. [1]

Description and taxonomy

Kryptopterus vitreolus is a small, transparent-bodied, freshwater-dwelling catfish with two long and sensory barbels. Standard lengths for mature fish may range up to 8 cm (3.1 in), but usually only reach around 6.5 cm (2.6 in) in total length. [1] Their bodies are transparent because, like all catfish, they lack scales. Additionally, species in the genus Kryptopterus have no body pigment. The species' skin is made of a "plywood"-like structure of collagen fibrils, which allows for light to enter and diffract through the muscles. [3] The majority of their organs are located near the head; with a magnifying glass, the heart can be seen beating. When the light strikes this fish at a certain angle, it can create an iridescent, rainbow effect. During acute periods of illness or after death, the tissues turn a milky-white.

The specific name, vitreolus, is derived from the Latin vitreus, which means 'glass'. [1] Among described species of Kryptopterus, only two other species, K. minor and K. piperatus , have clearly transparent bodies; these species are largely—if not entirely—absent from the aquarium trade. [1] The bodies of other species in the genus, including K. bicirrhis, are only somewhat translucent or opaque. [1]

In mythology

According to Thai folklore, this species of catfish was born from Phra Ruang, the legendary king who had sacred words. Said that when he ate a fish until only the bones were left. He released it into the water and said that he wished it would come back to life. The fish was then returned to life with only its bones, that is glass catfish. Hence, it has a common name in Thai as pla kang phra ruang (Thai : ปลาก้างพระร่วง, pronounced [plaːkaːŋpʰraʔrua̯ŋ] , "Phra Ruang's bones fish"). [4]

In captivity

A group of glass catfish schooling GroupingGlass Cat Fish.jpg
A group of glass catfish schooling

The aquarium trade in K. vitreolus generally relies on wild-caught specimens, and there are concerns that this may be unsustainable due to the volume and its limited range. [1] Unlike many other aquarium fish, it is not known to be bred at commercial facilities. [1]

One of the places where they are caught in the wild is the Phru To Daeng peat swamp forest, Narathiwat province in deep south Thailand. [5]

Electromagnetic response

K. vitreolus reacts to electromagnetic fields owing to a protein encoded by Electromagnetic Perceptive Gene (EPG). [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Kryptopterus bicirrhis</i> Species of fish

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. Its scientific name K. bicirrhis and common name glass catfish are often still used in the aquarium fish trade to refer to the actual K. vitreolus; as it seems, the larger and more aggressive true K. bicirrhis was only ever exported in insignificant numbers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walking catfish</span> Species of fish

The walking catfish is a species of freshwater airbreathing catfish native to Southeast Asia. It is named for its ability to "walk" and wiggle across dry land, to find food or suitable environments. While it does not truly walk as most bipeds or quadrupeds do, it can use its pectoral fins to keep it upright as it makes a wiggling motion with snakelike movements to traverse land. This fish normally lives in slow-moving and often stagnant waters in ponds, swamps, streams, and rivers, as well as in flooded rice paddies, or temporary pools that may dry up. When this happens, its "walking" skill allows the fish to move to other aquatic environments. Considerable taxonomic confusion surrounds this species and it has frequently been confused with other close relatives. One main distinction between the walking catfish and the native North American ictalurid catfish with which it sometimes is confused, is that the walking catfish lacks an adipose fin. It can survive 18 hours out of water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mekong giant catfish</span> Species of fish

The Mekong giant catfish, is a large, threatened species of catfish in the shark catfish family (Pangasiidae), native to the Mekong basin in Southeast Asia and adjacent China. It is considered critically endangered due to overfishing and habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redtail catfish</span> Species of fish

The redtail catfish, is a large species of South American pimelodid (long-whiskered) catfish. It is known in Venezuelan Spanish as cajaro; in Guyana, it is known as a banana catfish, and in Brazil it is known as pirarara, a fusion of words from the indigenous Tupi language: pirá and arara. It is the only extant species of its genus, Phractocephalus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emerald catfish</span> Species of fish

The emerald catfish is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the Corydoradinae sub-family of the family Callichthyidae native to the Amazon Basin in South America. It has traditionally been known as Brochis splendens. The fish has appeared on a stamp in Brazil.

<i>Kryptopterus</i> Genus of fishes

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 + ptéryx. It refers to the reduced or even entirely absent dorsal fin of these catfishes.

<i>Kryptopterus cryptopterus</i> Species of fish

Kryptopterus cryptopterus 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 flat dorsal profile with no concavity behind the head. This species grows to a length of 14.6 centimetres (5.7 in) SL.

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 the head. This species grows to a length of 17.1 centimetres (6.7 in) SL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant pangasius</span> Species of freshwater fish

The giant pangasius, paroon shark, pangasid-catfish or Chao Phraya giant catfish is a species of freshwater fish in the shark catfish family (Pangasiidae) of order Siluriformes, found in the Chao Phraya and Mekong basins in Indochina. Its populations have declined drastically, mainly due to overfishing, and it is now considered Critically Endangered.

Ompok is a genus of fish in the family Siluridae found in lakes and large rivers throughout South and Southeast Asia.

Kryptopterus minor is a small species of Asian glass catfish from the Kapuas River basin in Borneo, Indonesia. Until 2013, the ghost catfish was included in K. minor. The true K. minor is rarely seen in the aquarium trade, while K. vitreolus is common.

Glass catfish may mean:

Pla nuea on may refer to:

<i>Ompok bimaculatus</i> Species of fish

Ompok bimaculatus, known as butter catfish, is a species of sheatfishes native to Asian countries such as Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, but recently identified in Myanmar. It also indetified in Mekong Basin of Vietnam

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 seen in the aquarium trade, while K. vitreolus is common.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bueng Si Fai</span> Lake in Nai Mueang, Thailand

Bueng Si Fai is a freshwater lake in central Thailand located in Nai Mueang Subdistrict, Mueang Phichit District, Phichit Province.

Bueng Chawak or full name Bueng Chawak Chaloem Phra Kiat is a natural freshwater lake in central Thailand. It has an area of 2,700 rais, covering the area of the sub-districts Pak Nam, Doem Bang and Hua Khao of Doem Bang Nang Buat District, Suphan Buri Province all the way to the sub-district of Ban Chian, Hankha District, Chai Nat Province. The lake is approximately 64 km (39.8 mi) north of Suphan Buri City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Striped glass catfish</span> Species of fish

Kryptopterus macrocephalus, the striped glass catfish, is a species of sheatfish native to the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo in Southeast Asia. This species, large for its genus, grows to a length of 9.7 centimetres (3.8 in) SL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bang Pla Soi</span> Tambon in Chonburi, Thailand

Bang Pla Soi is a tambon (sub-district) of Mueang Chonburi district, Chonburi province, eastern Thailand. Bang Pla Soi can be regarded as downtown Chonburi, due to it being the location of various important buildings such as the Provincial Hall, the Provincial Court, etc.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Ng, Heok Hee; Kottelat, Maurice (2013), "After eighty years of misidentification, a name for the glass catfish (Teleostei: Siluridae)", Zootaxa, 3630 (2), Singapore: Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore: 308–16, doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3630.2.6, PMID   26131513, Zootaxa: 2013;3630:308-16
  2. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Kryptopterus vitreolus". FishBase . July 2014 version.
  3. Fan, Xiujun; Zheng, Xuezhi; An, Tong; Li, Xiuhong; Leung, Nathanael; Zhu, Bin; Sui, Tan; Shi, Nan; Fan, Tongxiang; Zhao, Qibin (2023-03-21). "Light diffraction by sarcomeres produces iridescence in transmission in the transparent ghost catfish". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 120 (12): e2219300120. Bibcode:2023PNAS..12019300F. doi:10.1073/pnas.2219300120. ISSN   0027-8424. PMC   10041080 . PMID   36913569.
  4. "ปลาก้างพระร่วง" [Glass catfish]. Phuket Aquarium (in Thai).
  5. Thai PBS (2021-04-05). "จับปลาผี" [Cath ghost fish]. Facebook (in Thai). Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  6. Krishnan, Vijai; Park, Sarah A.; Shin, Samuel S.; Alon, Lina; Tressler, Caitlin M.; Stokes, William; Banerjee, Jineta; Sorrell, Mary E.; Tian, Yuemin (2018-12-01). "Wireless control of cellular function by activation of a novel protein responsive to electromagnetic fields". Scientific Reports. 8 (1): 8764. Bibcode:2018NatSR...8.8764K. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-27087-9. ISSN   2045-2322. PMC   5993716 . PMID   29884813.