| Kryptopterus | |
|---|---|
| Ghost Catfish, Kryptopterus minor | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Superclass: | Osteichthyes |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Subclass: | Neopterygii |
| Infraclass: | Teleostei |
| Superorder: | Ostariophysi |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Siluridae |
| Genus: | Kryptopterus Bleeker, 1858 |
| Diversity | |
| 19 species | |
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 (κρυπτός, "hidden") + ptéryx (πτέρυξ, "fin"). It refers to the reduced or even entirely absent dorsal fin of these catfishes.[1]
These small- to medium-sized catfishes often have transparent or translucent bodies, hence their common name Asian glass catfishes. Most significant among these is the Ghost Catfish (K. minor), which is the "glass catfish" most often seen in the aquarium fish trade. It is frequently misidentified as its larger relative the Glass Catfish (K. bicirrhis), which is, however, rarely if ever traded. This was only realized in 1989, however; earlier authors assumed K. minor to be K. bicirrhis by default.
While 19 species have been described as of 2009, the genus Kryprtopterus is notoriously rich in cryptic species. A numvber of these have been recognized in recent years, and more are likely to follow:[2]
Some species formerly placed in Kryptopterus are nowadays in other genera, in particular Phalacronotus but also Micronema and Pterocryptis.