Pristolepis

Pristolepis is a genus of fish in the family Pristolepididae, and a member of the order Anabantiformes. It is native to freshwater habitats in Southeast Asia and India's Western Ghats.

Phylum:Chordata

Class:Actinopterygii

Order:Anabantiformes

Suborder:Nandoidei

Quick facts Scientific classification, Type species ...

Pristolepis Temporal range: Early Eocene–recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Pristolepis pentacantha
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Anabantiformes
Suborder:	Nandoidei
Family:	Pristolepididae T. R. Roberts, 1989
Genus:	Pristolepis Jerdon, 1849
Type species
Pristolepis marginatus Jerdon, 1849
Synonyms[1]
Catopra Bleeker, 1851 Paranandus Day, 1865

Close

Their relationship to other members of the order was previously uncertain, with the 5th edition of Fishes of the World placing the family outside the order, alongside the Nandidae and Pristolepididae, in an unnamed and unranked but monophyletic clade.^[2] However, they are now placed in the anantiform suborder Nandoidei.^[3] Alongside the Nandidae, they are commonly known as "Asian leaffish".^[4]

Potentially the oldest member of the family is the fossil genus Palaeopristolepis from the Bambanbor Formation of India, which is part of the Intertrappean Beds.^[5] This formation was previously dated to the latest Cretaceous, but is now thought to only date to the Early Eocene.^[6] However, the attribution of this genus to this family is questionable.^[7]