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 as, like all catfish, they are a scaleless fish; additionally, species within the genus Kryptopterus lack any 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 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]

Electromagnetic response

K. vitreolus reacts to electromagnetic fields owing to a protein encoded by Electromagnetic Perceptive Gene (EPG). [4]

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.

<i>Ancistrus</i> Genus of fishes

Ancistrus is a genus of nocturnal freshwater fish in the family Loricariidae of order Siluriformes, native to freshwater habitats in South America and Panama. Fish of this genus are common in the aquarium trade where they are known as bushynose or bristlenose catfish. In the aquarium hobby they are often referred to as bushynose or bristlenose plecos instead, but this may lead to confusion as "pleco" usually is used for Hypostomus plecostomus and its allies and is often used as a catchall term for any loricariids remotely resembling that species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cobitidae</span> Family of fishes

Cobitidae, also known as the True loaches, is a family of Old World freshwater fish. They occur throughout Eurasia and in Morocco, and inhabit riverine ecosystems. Today, most "loaches" are placed in other families. The family includes about 260 described species. New species are being described regularly.

<i>Panaque nigrolineatus</i> Species of fish

Panaque nigrolineatus, the royal panaque, royal plec, or royal pleco, is an herbivorous freshwater armored catfish native to Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela where it occurs in the Orinoco and Amazon basins. It is known for being one of the few fish that digest wood. They are arable to survive for a long period of time only on a wood-diet. It maintains this xyliphagous. It grows to a length of 43.0 centimetres (16.9 in) and is a popular aquarium fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariidae</span> Family of fishes

The Ariidae or ariid catfish are a family of catfish that mainly live in marine waters with many freshwater and brackish water species. They are found worldwide in tropical to warm temperate zones. The family includes about 143 species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoplisoma panda</span> Species of fish

Hoplisoma panda, formerly known as Corydoras panda, is a species of catfish belonging to the genus Hoplisoma, of the family Callichthyidae, and is a native member of the riverine fauna of South America. It is found in Peru and Ecuador, most notably in the Huánuco region, where it inhabits the Río Aquas, the Río Amarillae, a tributary of the Río Pachitea, and the Río Ucayali river system. The species was first collected by Randolph H. Richards in 1968, and was named Corydoras panda by Nijssen and Isbrücker in 1971. The specific name is an allusion to the appearance of the fish, which possesses large black patches surrounding the eyes, reminiscent of those found on the giant panda. Accordingly, the common names for this fish are panda corydoras,panda catfish, and panda cory.

<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.

<i>Sorubim</i> Genus of fishes

Sorubim is a small genus of long-whiskered catfish native to tropical South America. A number of characteristics allows the differentiation of each species in the genus. Sorubim species are important food fish in South America and are highly significant to fisheries of some areas; however, harvests of these fish are not identified as much as other, more popular food fishes such as Colossoma, Arapaima, and Brachyplatystoma. Some species of this family are popular aquarium fish.

<i>Batasio</i> Genus of fishes

Batasio is a genus of catfish of the family Bagridae. These small fish are found in fast-flowing hillstreams throughout South and mainland Southeast Asia.

Pseudomystus is a genus of catfishes of the family Bagridae.

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.

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

Silurus asotus, commonly called the Japanese common catfish, Amur catfish, Far Eastern catfish, and Chinese catfish, is a catfish species belonging to the Siluridae family. It lives in widespread distribution in freshwater habitats across East Asia and Japan. As a freshwater species, it can be found only in the catchments of rivers, ponds, and lakes located in China, Japan, the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, and the Russian Amur Basin. This species of catfish is carnivorous and has a high aquaculture.

Glass catfish may mean:

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">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.

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.) (2014). "Kryptopterus vitreolus" in 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. 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.