The ricefishes are a family (Adrianichthyidae) of small ray-finned fish that are found in fresh and brackish waters from India to Japan and out into the Malay Archipelago, most notably Sulawesi. The common name ricefish derives from the fact that some species are found in rice paddies. This family consists of about 37 species in two genera. Several species are rare and threatened, and some 2–4 may already be extinct.
The blue panchax or whitespot is a common freshwater fish found in a large variety of habitats due to its high adaptability. This species is native to southern Asia from Pakistan, India to Indonesia. It has been discovered in two hot springs in Singapore. Identified by a white-coloured spot on its head, the species can reach up to 9 cm (3.5 in) in length; it tends to keep to the surface of the water, and controls the mosquito population by feeding on their larvae.
The Japanese rice fish, also known as the medaka, is a member of genus Oryzias (ricefish), the only genus in the subfamily Oryziinae. This small native of Japan is a denizen of rice paddies, marshes, ponds, slow-moving streams and tide pools. It is euryhaline, occurring in both brackish and freshwater. It became popular as an aquarium fish because of its hardiness and pleasant coloration: its coloration varies from creamy-white to yellowish in the wild to white, creamy-yellow, or orange in aquarium-bred individuals. Bright yellow, red or green transgenic populations, similar to GloFish, have also been developed, but are banned from sale in the EU. The medaka has been a popular pet since the 17th century in Japan. After fertilization, the female carries her eggs attached anterior to the anal fin for a period before depositing them on plants or similar things.
The chestnut bulbul or chestnut-backed bulbul is a songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1870. It is found in southern China and northern Vietnam. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests; it primarily resides in the canopy.
Oryzias celebensis, the Celebes medaka, fish in the family Adrianichthyidae. It is endemic to rivers, streams and lakes on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and one river in East Timor.
Oryzias is a genus of ricefishes native to fresh and brackish water in east and south Asia. Some species are widespread and the Japanese rice fish is commonly used in science as a model organism, while others have very small ranges and are threatened. They are small, up to 8 cm (3.1 in) long, and most are relatively plain in colour.
Oryzias marmoratus, also known as the marmorated ricefish or marmorated medaka, is a species of fish in the family Adrianichthyidae, from Lake Towuti, Lake Mahalona, Lake Lontoa and associated streams in Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Oryzias matanensis, the Matano ricefish, is a species of fish in the family Adrianichthyidae. It is endemic to Lake Matano in Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Oryzias profundicola, the yellow-finned medaka or yellow-finned ricefish, is a species of fish in the family Adrianichthyidae.
Sinibrama affinis is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Sinibrama. It is found in southern China, northern Vietnam, and Laos. It inhabits rivers.
Beaufortia leveretti is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Beaufortia.
Hainania serrata, also known as the Hainan minnow, is a cyprinid fish found in China and Vietnam. It is the only member of the genus Hainania.
Opsariichthys is a genus of cyprinid fish found in freshwater habitats in Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. There are currently 12 described species in the genus.
The Hainan Island shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae native to China and Vietnam. The IUCN has insufficient data to assess the level of population and its trend.
Oryzias mekongensis is a species of fish in the family Adrianichthyidae. It is endemic to the Mekong River Basin in southeast Asia, where it is found in ditches, canals and ponds.
The Chinese rice fish is a species of fish in the genus Oryzias. This freshwater fish occurs in swamps, stagnant parts of streams, rice fields and marshes, and is up to 3.1 cm (1.2 in) long. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the Japanese rice fish. The natural range of the Chinese rice fish is in East and Southeast Asia, including the Yangtze, Mekong, Irrawaddy, Salween, Red River and Nanpangjiang basins. It has been introduced to Kazakhstan and Russia ; also spreading in the Azov basin and has been discovered in the Obytichna River in Ukraine.
Sineleotris is a genus of freshwater sleepers native to eastern Asia, where found in Hainan, Hong Kong, Laos and Vietnam.
Carassioides acuminatus or black fish is a species of cyprinid fish in the subfamily Cyprininae. It is found in central and northern Vietnam and the Pearl River and Hainan in China. It may have been introduced into Laos. It occurs in slow flowing rivers with sandy or muddy beds. It has an omnivorous diet, including alga, insect larvae, zooplankton and organic detritus. It is sold in Vietnam for human consumption, where it valued as a food fish, and it is also used in aquaculture.
Osteochilus salsburyi is a species of cyprinid fish found in Laos, northern Vietnam, and southern China.
Spinibarbus denticulatus, the phoenix barb or Chinese phoenix barb, is an Asian species of cyprinid freshwater fish of the subfamily Spinibarbinae. This fish is found in China in the Yuanjiang and Pearl basins, freshwater systems of Hainan, and Yangzong and Fuxian Lakes, in Laos in the Mã basin, and in Vietnam in the Red, Gâm, Lô and Mã basins, and freshwater systems from Nghệ An to Quảng Trị province. It occurs in large to medium rivers, deep pools of streams, in lakes and reservoirs, and it has a quite broad temperature tolerance, between at least 9 and 30 °C (48–86 °F) depending on season. Overall the species is widespread, but some local populations have been reduced due to overfishing, habitat loss and pollution. It is an important food fish that sometimes is aquacultured, and also kept as a garden pond or aquarium fish. Large numbers of the species can be found in the Cẩm Lương stream in Cẩm Thủy, Vietnam, where it is considered sacred and the locals protect and feed it, and it is also a tourist attraction.
