Notopteridae
Encyclopedia
The family Notopteridae contains eight species of osteoglossiform (bony-tongued) fishes, commonly known as featherbacks and knifefishes. They are small fishes living in freshwater
or brackish environments in Africa
and South-east Asia.
With the denotation of "knifefish", the Notopterids should not be confused with Gymnotiforms
, the electric knifefishes. Although their manner of swimming is similar, the two groups are not closely related.
A few of the larger species, especially Chitala chitala, are food fish and occasionally aquarium pets. The name is from Greek
noton meaning "back" and pteron meaning "fin".
is small and narrow, giving rise to the common name of "featherback". The fish swims by holding its body rigid and rippling the anal fin to propel itself forward or backwards.
Notopterids have specialized swim bladders. The organ extends throughout the body and even into the fins in some cases. Although the swim bladder is not highly vascularised, it can absorb oxygen from air and also functions to produce sound by squeezing air through a narrow passage into the pharynx
.
At least some species prepare nests and guard the eggs until they hatch.
Family Notopteridae
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
or brackish environments in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and South-east Asia.
With the denotation of "knifefish", the Notopterids should not be confused with Gymnotiforms
Gymnotiformes
The Gymnotiformes are a group of teleost bony fishes commonly known as the Neotropical or South American knifefishes. They have long bodies and swim using undulations of their elongated anal fin...
, the electric knifefishes. Although their manner of swimming is similar, the two groups are not closely related.
A few of the larger species, especially Chitala chitala, are food fish and occasionally aquarium pets. The name is from Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
noton meaning "back" and pteron meaning "fin".
Description
Featherbacks have slender, elongated, bodies, giving them a knife-like appearance. The caudal fin is small and fused with the anal fin, which runs most of the length of the body. Where present, the dorsal finDorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
is small and narrow, giving rise to the common name of "featherback". The fish swims by holding its body rigid and rippling the anal fin to propel itself forward or backwards.
Notopterids have specialized swim bladders. The organ extends throughout the body and even into the fins in some cases. Although the swim bladder is not highly vascularised, it can absorb oxygen from air and also functions to produce sound by squeezing air through a narrow passage into the pharynx
Pharynx
The human pharynx is the part of the throat situated immediately posterior to the mouth and nasal cavity, and anterior to the esophagus and larynx. The human pharynx is conventionally divided into three sections: the nasopharynx , the oropharynx , and the laryngopharynx...
.
At least some species prepare nests and guard the eggs until they hatch.
Species
There are ten species in four genera:Family Notopteridae
- Genus ChitalaChitalaChitala 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....
FowlerHenry Weed FowlerHenry Weed Fowler was an American zoologist born in Holmesburg, Pennsylvania.He studied at Stanford University under David Starr Jordan...
, 1934- 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)
- Genus Notopterus Lacépède, 1800
- Notopterus notopterusNotopterus notopterusThe Bronze Featherback or Notopterus notopterus is a fish in family Notopteridae found in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and other regions of Asia. It is the only member of its genus.This fish appears in a stamp of the Kingdom of Laos.-Uses:...
(PallasPeter Simon PallasPeter Simon Pallas was a German zoologist and botanist who worked in Russia.- Life and work :Pallas was born in Berlin, the son of Professor of Surgery Simon Pallas. He studied with private tutors and took an interest in natural history, later attending the University of Halle and the University...
, 1769) (Bronze featherback)
- Notopterus notopterus
- Genus PapyrocranusPapyrocranusPapyrocranus is a genus of fishes in family Notopteridae found in many regions Africa.- Species :* Papyrocranus afer * Papyrocranus congoensis...
GreenwoodHumphry GreenwoodHumphry Greenwood FRS FIBiol was an English ichthyologist. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1985...
, 1963- Papyrocranus aferPapyrocranus aferPapyrocranus afer or Reticulate knifefish is a genus of fishes in family Notopteridae found in many regions Africa....
(Günther, 1868) (Reticulate knifefish) - Papyrocranus congoensisPapyrocranus congoensisPapyrocranus congoensis is a genus of fishes in family Notopteridae found in Congo basin of Africa....
(NicholsJohn Treadwell NicholsJohn Treadwell Nichols was an American ichthyologist.-Biography:Nichols was born as son of John White Treadwell Nichols in Jamaica Plain, Boston, Massachusetts. In 1906 he studied vertebrate zoology at Harvard College where he graduated to Bachelor of Arts...
& La Monte, 1932)
- Papyrocranus afer
- Genus Xenomystus Günther, 1868
- Xenomystus nigriXenomystus nigriXenomystus nigri, the African Brown Knife Fish or African Knife Fish, is the only species in the genus Xenomystus of the family Notopteridae. This fish inhabits coastal river basins in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Togo, Benin and Cameroon...
(Günther, 1868) (African knifefish)
- Xenomystus nigri