Pterolebias
Genus of fishes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pterolebias is a genus of killifish from the family Rivulidae which are native to temporary swamps and ponds in South America. It includes two groups, which sometimes are regarded as separate genera: Pterolebias (sensu stricto) from the southern Amazon and Paraguay (including the Pantanal) river basins, and Gnatholebias from the Orinoco (including the Llanos) river basin.[2]
| Pterolebias | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cyprinodontiformes |
| Family: | Rivulidae |
| Genus: | Pterolebias Garman, 1895 |
| Type species | |
| Pterolebias longipinnis Garman, 1895[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Gnatholebias W. J. E. M. Costa, 1998 | |
Depending on the exact species, these annual killifish reach up to 7–12 cm (2.8–4.7 in) in total length.[3]
Species
There are four recognized species in Pterolebias according to FishBase,[3] but two of these are sometimes placed in a separate genus, Gnatholebias. The two groups are relatively distantly related and if kept in a single genus Pterolebias is paraphyletic.[2][4]
- Pterolebias (sensu stricto)
- Pterolebias longipinnis Garman, 1895 (Longfin killie)
- Pterolebias phasianus W. J. E. M. Costa, 1988
- Gnatholebias
- Pterolebias hoignei Thomerson, 1974
- Pterolebias zonatus G. S. Myers, 1935
