Scleropages

Taxobox | name = "Scleropages"

---

image_width = 250px
image_caption = Super red arowana, "Scleropages legendrei"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Osteoglossiformes
familia = Osteoglossidae
genus = "Scleropages"
genus_authority = Günther, 1864
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = "Scleropages aureus" "Scleropages formosus" "Scleropages jardinii" "Scleropages legendrei" "Scleropages leichardti" "Scleropages macrocephalus"

"Sceleropages" is a genus of freshwater fishes found in Asia and Australia. [FishBase genus | genus = Scleropages | year = 2006 | month = March] Six species are currently recognized. All are carnivorous and have great jumping ability. Most are endangered in the wild to some degree. "Scleropages" species are highly valued as aquarium fish, particularly by those from Asian cultures.

Before 2003, three species were recognized from this genus ("S. formosus", "S. jardinii", and "S. leichardti"). In that year, a study was published which determined several naturally-occurring color varieties of "S. formosus", the Asian arowana, actually comprised four separate species, bringing the species count for the genus to six. [cite journal
last = Pouyaud
first = Laurent
coauthors = Sudarto & Guy Teugels
year = 2003
month = December
title = The Different Colour Varieties of the Asian Arowana "Scleropages formosus" (Osteoglossidae) are distinct species: Morphologic and genetic evidences.
journal = Cybium
volume = 27
issue = 4
pages = 287–305
url =
accessdate = ]

The ancestor of the Australian arowanas, "S. jardinii" and "S. leichardti", diverged from the ancestor of the Asian arowanas about 140 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous period. The morphological similarity of all six species shows that little evolutionary change has taken place recently for these ancient fish. [cite journal | last = Kumazawa | first = Yoshinori | journal = Quarterly Journal Biohistory | issue = Winter | year = 2003 | title = The reason the freshwater fish arowana live across the sea | url = http://www.brh.co.jp/en/experience/journal/39/research_1.html | accessdate = 2006-07-02 ]

pecies

Species are listed with their most prominent common names.
*"Scleropages aureus" Pouyaud, Sudarto and Teugels, 2003 — gold arowana, red-tailed golden arowana
*"Scleropages formosus" (Müller and Schlegel, 1844) — green arowana, Asian bonytongue, Malayan arowana
*"Scleropages jardinii" (Saville-Kent, 1892) — Gulf saratoga, Australian arowana, Australian bonytongue, northern barramundi
*"Scleropages legendrei" Pouyaud, Sudarto and Teugels, 2003: red arowana, super red arowana, blood red arowana, chili arowana
*"Scleropages leichardti" Günther, 1864 — saratoga, Australian arowana, Dawson River salmon, spotted saratoga, spotted barramundi, spotted arowana
*"Scleropages macrocephalus" Pouyaud, Sudarto and Teugels, 2003: silver Asian arowana, yellow-tailed silver arowana, gray-tailed silver arowana

References