Dawkinsia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dawkinsia | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Cyprinidae |
| Subfamily: | Smiliogastrinae |
| Genus: | Dawkinsia Pethiyagoda, Meegaskumbura & Maduwage, 2012 |
| Type species | |
| Leuciscus filamentosus Valenciennes, 1844 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Sahyadria Raghavan, Philip, Ali & Dahanukar, 2013 | |
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Dawkinsia is a genus of cyprinid fishes from freshwater in South India and Sri Lanka. It was split off (i.e., reclassified) from genus Puntius in 2012.[1] The genus is endemic to South Asia; most species are found in the Western Ghats, with one inhabiting the Knuckles Hills of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan species colonized the island by crossing the Palk Isthmus (now the Palk Strait) during the Pliocene-Late Pleistocene.[2]
Dawkinsia is named after the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in recognition of his "contribution to the public understanding of science, particularly, of evolutionary science".[3][1]: p.80 Dawkins describes this as "a great honour".[4]
The synonym Sahyadria alludes to the local name of the Western Ghats, Sahayadri, where the two species of that group are found.[5]