List of freshwater fish of Sri Lanka

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Sri Lanka is a tropical island situated close to the southern tip of India. It is situated in the middle of Indian Ocean. Because of being an island, Sri Lanka has many endemic freshwater fauna, including fish, crabs, molluscs, and other aquatic insects.

Contents

Species List

Class: Actinopterygii

Freshwater fish are physiologically differ from marine and brackish water forms. The low salinity and high osmotic pressure makes them so different. Few fish can be found in all three ecological systems.

There are 95 species of freshwater fish occur in the country, where 53 of those are endemic. 41% of all known species of fish of Sri Lanka are found in freshwater. There are about 70% of endemism of those fish. Most of them are listed into IUCN categories. Four Devario species were described in 2017 by Batuwita et al. However, the taxonomy and descriptions were cited as problematic by fellow local ichthyologists. [1]

Note: introduced species are not included in the list. Go to List of introduced fish in Sri Lanka .

Freshwater eels

Order: Anguilliformes. Family: Anguillidae

There are 19 species and 6 subspecies in this family are all in genus Anguilla. Sri Lanka is home for 2 freshwater eels.

NameBinomialStatus
Mottled Eel Anguilla nebulosa
Shortfin Eel Anguilla bicolor

Carps and allies

Order: Cypriniformes. Family: Cyprinidae About over 320 genera, and more than 3,250 species are included in this family. 52 species found in Sri Lanka.

Common nameBinomialStatus
Attentive carplet Amblypharyngodon melettinus
Sinhala barb

D singhala - Hiranya Sudasinghe.jpg

Dawkinsia singhalaendemic
Blotched filamentous barb

D srilankensis - Hiranya Sudasinghe.jpg

Dawkinsia srilankensisendemic
Giant danio

Devario aequipinnatus.JPG

Devario aequipinnatus
Devario annnataliae problematic taxon
Malabar danio

Devario malabaricus by Blaise.png

Devario malabaricus
Devario micronema problematic taxon
Devario monticola problematic taxon
Barred danio

Devario pathirana.jpg

Devario pathirana
Devario udenii problematic taxon
Indian flying barb

Esomus danricus.jpg

Esomus danrica
Flying barb

Esomus thermoicos.jpg

Esomus thermoicos
Ceylon Logsucker Garra ceylonensisendemic
Philipps' Garra Garra phillipsiendemic
Glow-light Carplet

Green carplet.jpg

Horadandia atukorali
Labeo heladiva endemic
Green labeo Labeo fisheriendemic
Red fin labeo Labeo lankaeendemic
Knuckles Laubuca Laubuca insularisendemic
Blue Laubuca Laubuca lankensisendemic
Ruhuna Laubuca Laubuca ruhunaendemic
Varuna Laubuca Laubuca varunaendemic
Scarlet banded barb Puntius amphibius
Red-side barb

Puntius bimaculatus %3F.JPG

Puntius bimaculatus
Swamp barb Puntius chola
Long-snouted barb Puntius dorsalis
Kamalika's barb Puntius kamalikaendemic
Kelum's barb

Puntius kelumi.jpg

Puntius kelumiendemic
Cherry barb

Male Cherry Barb 700.jpg

Puntius titteyaendemic
Greenstripe barb Puntius vitattus
Bandula barb Pethia bandulaendemic
Two-spot barb Pethia cumingiiendemic
Tic-tac-toe Barb Pethia melanomaculataendemic
Black ruby barb

Black Ruby Barb 700.jpg

Pethia nigrofasciataendemic
Red-fined Barb Pethia revalendemic
Stoliczkae's barb

PuntiusStoliczkanus.jpg

Pethia stoliczkana
Ticto barb

Pethia ticto.JPG

Pethia ticto
Amith's rasbora Rasbora armitageiendemic
Cauvery rasbora Rasbora caverii
Slender rasbora Rasbora daniconiusendemic
Wilpita rasbora Rasbora wilpitaendemic

Rasboroides nigromarginatus.jpg

Rasboroides nigromarginatus endemic

Rasboroides pallidus.Zoologists' Aquarium.jpg

Rasboroides pallidus endemic
Rasboroides rohani endemic
Pearly Rasbora Rasboroides vateriflorisendemic
Asoka barb Systomus asokaendemic
Martenstyn's barb Systomus martenstyniendemic
Side-striped barb Systomus pleurotaeniaendemic
Olive barb

Fish - Puntius sarana from Kerala (India).png

Systomus sarana
Systomus spilurus endemic
Timbiri Barb Systomus timbiriendemic
Deccan Mahseer

Tor khudree (Sykes).jpg

Tor khudree

River loaches

Family: Balitoridae

Common nameBinomialStatus
Banded Mountain Loach

Banded Mountain Loach (16643232785).jpg

Acanthocobitis urophthalmaendemic
Hill country Loach Schistura madhavaiendemic
Spotback Loach Schistura notostigmanative
Schistura scripta endemic

True Loaches

Family: Cobitidae

Common nameBinomialStatus
Spotted loach Lepidocephalichthys jonklaasiendemic
Common spiny loach

Lepidocephalichthys thermalis preserved specimen.jpg

Lepidocephalichthys thermalis

Naked catfishes

Order: Siluriformes. Family: Bagridae

NameBinomialStatus
Dwarf catfish Mystus ankuttaendemic
Gangetic mystus Mystus cavasius
Long Whiskers catfish Mystus gulio
Yellow catfish Mystus keletius
Striped dwarf catfish Mystus vittatus

Sheat catfishes

Family: Siluridae

NameBinomialStatus
Ompok argestes Endemic
Butter catfish

Ompok bimaculatus.JPG

Ompok bimaculatus
Ompok ceylonensis Endemic
Wallago

Wallago attu.jpg

Wallago attu

Airbreathing catfishes

Family: Clariidae

NameBinomialStatus
Walking catfish

Clarias brachysoma.jpg

Clarias brachysomaendemic

Airsac catfishes

Family: Heteropneustidae

NameBinomialStatus
Asian stinging catfish

Heteropneustes fossilis.jpg

Heteropneustes fossilis

Swamp eels

Order: Synbranchiformes. Family: Synbranchidae

NameBinomialStatus
Lesser swamp eel Monopterus desilvai
Bengal swamp eel Ophisternon bengalense

Rivulines

Order: Cyprinodontiformes. Family: Aplocheilidae

NameBinomialStatus
Ceylon killifish Aplocheilus dayiendemic
Dwarf panchax Aplocheilus parvus
Werners killifish Aplocheilus werneriendemic

Ricefish

Family: Adrianichthyidae

NameBinomialStatus
Spotted ricefish Oryzias carnaticus
Indian ricefish Oryzias dancena

Cichlids

Order: Perciformes. Family: Cichlidae

NameBinomialStatus
Orange chromide

Etroplus Maculatus.JPG

Etroplus maculatus
Green chromide

Green chromide.jpg

Etroplus suratensis

Climbing perches

Family: Anabantidae

NameBinomialStatus
Climbing perch

Pla mo-Thailand25.JPG

Anabas testudineus

Gourami

Family: Osphronemidae

NameBinomialStatus
Ceylonese combtail Belontia signataendemic
Ornate parasidefish Malpulutta kretseriendemic
Spike-tailed paradisefish Pseudosphromenus cupanus

Snakeheads

Family: Channidae

NameBinomialStatus
Giant snakehead

Channa marulius.jpg

Channa marulius
Dwarf snakehead

Chan gachu 120715 0406 krw.jpg

Channa gachua
Ceylon snakehead

Channa Orientalis.jpg

Channa orientalisendemic
Spotted snakehead

Channa punctata.jpg

Channa punctata
Striped snakehead

Gabus 070909 0242 rwg.jpg

Channa striata
Channa kelaartii [ citation needed ]

Garfishes

Family: Belonidae

NameBinomialStatus
Freshwater garfish

Xenentodon cancila (Wroclaw zoo)-1.JPG

Xenentodon cancila

Sleeper gobies

Family: Eleotridae

NameBinomialStatus
Crazyfish

Butis butis (Hamilton, 1822).jpg

Butis butis
Dusky sleeper

Eleot fusc 160312-57339 rwg.JPG

Eleotris fusca

Spiny eels

Family: Mastacembelidae

NameBinomialStatus
Tire track eel

Tire Track Eel.jpg

Mastacembelus armatus
Sri Lanka spiny eel Macrognathus pentophthalmos

Gobies

Family: Gobiidae

NameBinomialStatus
Large snout goby Awaous melanocephalus
Tank goby

Glossogobius giuris (Hamilton- Buchanan).jpg

Glossogobius giuris
Sharptail goby

Oligolepis acutipennis.jpg

Oligolepis acutipennis
Red neck goby Schismatogobius deraniyagalai
Stone goby Sicyopterus griseus
Redtail goby Sicyopterus lagocephalus
Lipstick goby Sicyopus jonklaasiendemic
Martenstyn's goby Stiphodon martenstyniendemic

References

  1. Sudasinghe, Hiranya; Pethiyagoda, Rohan (2019). "A commentary on the taxonomic review of Sri Lankan Devario by Batuwita et al. 2017 (Teleostei: Danionidae)" . Zootaxa. 4543 (3). biotaxa. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4543.3.7 . Retrieved 28 February 2019.