Heteropneustes

Heteropneustes
Heteropneustes fossilis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Siluriformes
Family:	Heteropneustidae
Genus:	Heteropneustes Müller, 1840
Type species
Silurus fossilis Bloch, 1794
Species
Heteropneustes fossilis Heteropneustes kemratensis
Synonyms
Saccobranchus Valenciennes, 1840 Clarisilurus Fowler, 1937

Heteropneustes is a genus of catfishes (order Siluriformes) of the family Clariidae.^[1] It includes two species, H. fossilis and H. kemratensis.^[1] The species H. microps has been synonymized with H. fossilis.^[1] The validity of the name H. longipectoralis for a possible third species is unknown.^[1]

H. fossilis is widely distributed in South Asia.^[1] H. kemratensis originates from the Mekong, Chao Phraya, and Tapi River basins.^[1]

Their body is elongate and compressed with a greatly depressed head. They have a long air sac that serves as a lung that extends from the gill chamber. The dorsal fin is short and has no spine. The pectoral fins have an associated venom gland and is considered dangerous.^[2] Unlike most other clariids, Heteropneustes species do not have the labyrinth organ that is characteristic of the family.^[3]

H. fossilis is found mainly in ponds, ditches, swamps and marshes, but sometimes occurs in muddy rivers. It can tolerate slightly brackish water. It is omnivorous. This species breeds in confined waters during the monsoon months, but can breed in ponds, derelict ponds, and ditches when sufficient rain-water accumulates. It is in great demand due to its medicinal value.^[4]

Both species are oviparous; distinct pairing is possible.^[4][5]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Ferraris, Carl J., Jr. (2007). "Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types" (PDF). Zootaxa 1418: 1–628. http://silurus.acnatsci.org/ACSI/library/biblios/2007_Ferraris_Catfish_Checklist.pdf. 
2. ^ Nelson, J. S.: Fishes of the World, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., p , 2006 ISBN 0-471-25031-7
3. ^ Devaere, Stijn; Adriaens, Dominique; Teugels, Guy G.; Verraes, Walter (2005). "Morphology and spatial constraints in a dorso-ventrally flattened skull, with a revised species description of Platyallabes tihoni (Poll, 1944)". Journal of Natural History 39 (19): 1653–1673. doi:10.1080/00222930400020103. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2008). "Heteropneustes fossilis" in FishBase. Oct 2008 version.
5. ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2008). "Heteropneustes kemratensis" in FishBase. Oct 2008 version.