Chitala
Encyclopedia
Chitala is a genus of fish
in the Notopteridae
family. This genus contains 6 species, in which there are important aquaculture and aquarium species. They are commonly known as the Asian knifefishes or featherbacks.
The largest fish in the genus (and also the family) is Chitala lopis, which grows to a length of 5 feet (1.5 meters). Other well known species are the Clown Knifefish (C. chitala) and the Indochina knifefish (C. blanci).
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
in the Notopteridae
Notopteridae
The family Notopteridae contains eight species of osteoglossiform fishes, commonly known as featherbacks and knifefishes. They are small fishes living in freshwater or brackish environments in Africa and South-east Asia....
family. This genus contains 6 species, in which there are important aquaculture and aquarium species. They are commonly known as the Asian knifefishes or featherbacks.
The largest fish in the genus (and also the family) is Chitala lopis, which grows to a length of 5 feet (1.5 meters). Other well known species are the Clown Knifefish (C. chitala) and the Indochina knifefish (C. blanci).
Species
- Chitala blanci (d'Aubenton, 1965) (Indochina featherback)
- Chitala borneensisChitala borneensisChitala borneensis or the Indonesian featherback is fish of the genus Chitala found in Sumatra, Indonesia, Borneo and Malay Peninsula....
(BleekerPieter BleekerPieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia – Atlas Ichthyologique des Orientales Neerlandaises – which was published 1862–1877....
, 1851) - Chitala chitalaChitala chitalaChitala chitala or clown knifefish is a fish of the genus Chitala found in India and other countries in Southeast Asia. Main foods are smaller fishes and fish pellets . They have been introduced to some areas of the United States. As an aquarium fish, they are popular in the United States and...
(F. HamiltonFrancis Buchanan-HamiltonDr Francis Buchanan, later known as Francis Hamilton but often referred to as Francis Buchanan-Hamilton was a Scottish physician who made significant contributions as a geographer, zoologist, and botanist while living in India.The standard botanical author abbreviation Buch.-Ham. is applied to...
, 1822) (Clown knifefish) - Chitala hypselonotusChitala hypselonotusChitala hypselonotus is a fish of the genus Chitala found in Sumatra and Borneo....
(BleekerPieter BleekerPieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia – Atlas Ichthyologique des Orientales Neerlandaises – which was published 1862–1877....
, 1852) - Chitala lopisChitala lopisChitala lopis or the Giant Featherback is a fish of the genus Chitala found in Southeast Asia....
(BleekerPieter BleekerPieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia – Atlas Ichthyologique des Orientales Neerlandaises – which was published 1862–1877....
, 1851) (Giant featherback) - Chitala ornataChitala ornataThe clown knifefish, clown featherback fish or spotted knifefish, Chitala ornata, is a nocturnal tropical fish with a long knife-like body.-Appearance:...
(J. E. GrayJohn Edward GrayJohn Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray ....
, 1831) (Clown featherback)