| Kneriidae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Kneria angolensis | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gonorynchiformes |
| Family: | Kneriidae Günther, 1868 |
| Genera | |
|
See text | |
The Kneriidae are a small family of freshwater gonorhynchiform fishes native to sub-Saharan Africa.
The species in this family typically live in fast-flowing streams, often in highlands, and are small fish, no more than 15 cm (5.9 in) in length. The second subfamily Phractolaeminae contains only a single species, which typically inhabits stagnant or slow-moving waters and reaches up to 25 cm (9.8 in) in length. All Kneriidae have an elongated body shape. Some species are sexually dimorphic, with the male possessing a rosette on the gill covers that is absent in the females. Other species are neotenic, retaining larval features into adulthood.
Classification
There are about 31 extant (living) species in four genera. Phractolaemidae is now regarded as a full family.
Genera
- Cromeria Boulenger, 1901
- Grasseichthys Géry, 1964
- Kneria Steindachner, 1866
- Parakneria Poll, 1965
In addition, the family includes the genus Mahengichthys, which only is known from Eocene fossil remains and is closer to Kneriinae than Phractolaemidae.
References
- Richard van der Laan; William N. Eschmeyer & Ronald Fricke (2014). "Family-group names of recent fishes". Zootaxa. 3882 (2): 1–230. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1. PMID 25543675.
- Banister, Keith F. (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W. N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 97. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Kneriidae". FishBase. July 2021 version.
- Eschmeyer, W.N.; Grande, T.; Grande, L. (2010). "A Nomenclatural Analysis of Gonorynchiform Taxa". Gonorynchiformes and Ostariophysan Relationships. pp. 567–587. doi:10.1201/b10194-14. ISBN 978-0-429-06156-1.
- ^ Near, T.J.; Dornburg, A.; Friedman, M. (2014). "Phylogenetic relationships and timing of diversification in gonorynchiform fishes inferred using nuclear gene DNA sequences (Teleostei: Ostariophysi)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 80: 297–307. Bibcode:2014MolPE..80..297N. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2014.07.013.
- Davis, M.P.; Arratia, G.; Kaiser, T.M. (2013). "The first fossil shellear (Gonorynchiformes: Kneriidae) from the Eocene lake of Mahenge (Tanzania)". Mesozoic Fishes 5 - Global Diversity and Evolution. F. Pfeil. pp. 325–362. ISBN 978-3-89937-159-8.
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Kneriidae | |