Heptapteridae
| Heptapteridae | |
|---|---|
| Mastiglanis asopos | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Superfamily: | Pimelodoidea |
| Family: | Heptapteridae T. N. Gill, 1861[1] |
| Genera | |
|
Acentronichthys | |
The Heptapteridae, or three-barbeled catfishes, are a family of catfish that originate from the Americas.[2] The name Heptapteridae is derived from Greek, hepta meaning seven and pteron meaning fin;[3] this is thought to be an allusion to the short distance between the adipose and caudal fins of Heptapterus mustelinus, the type species of the family's type genus, which gives the appearance that it has 7 instead of 8 fins in total.[4][a]
The skin of these fish is usually naked (scaleless). They exhibit three pairs of barbels. They have a large adipose fin, and their caudal fin is deeply forked. However, no external characteristics unique to this family allow it to be differentiated from the Pimelodidae.[2]
Most species are restricted to South America, but Imparfinis lineatus, Nemuroglanis panamensis and Pimelodella chagresi are native to Panama, and Rhamdia species occur as far north as Mexico. The Heptapteridae include a few troglobitic species in the genera Pimelodella, Rhamdia, Rhamdiopsis, and Taunayia.[5][6]
The diversity of this family is poorly known, and many species are yet to be described.[2] So far, some 211 species have been described. This family is equivalent to the previously recognized Rhamdiinae, a subfamily of the family Pimelodidae; it was elevated to family level due to being considered distinct.[2] Molecular evidence suggests this family is a part of the superfamily Pimelodoidea along with the Pimelodidae, Pseudopimelodidae, and Conorhynchos.[7]
The following cladogram is based on a Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis of Heptapteridae using ultraconserved elements. Notably, many sequences are of undescribed species, and a number of genera are found to be polyphyletic:[8]
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References
- ^ The eight fins typical of fish are the pectoral pair, the pelvic pair, the dorsal, the adipose, the anal, and the caudal fins.
- ^ "Heptapteridae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 7 April 2007.
- ^ a b c d Nelson, Joseph, S. (2006). Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0-471-25031-7.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Heptapteridae". FishBase. Apr 2007 version.
- ^ Scharpf, Christopher. "Family HEPTAPTERIDAE Gill 1861 (Three-barbeled Catfishes)". ETYFish Project. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
- ^ Bichuette, Maria Elina; Trajano, Eleonora (2005). "A new cave species of Rhamdia (Siluriformes: Heptapteridae) from Serra do Ramalho, northeastern Brazil, with notes on ecology and behavior". Neotropical Ichthyology. 3 (4): 587–595. doi:10.1590/S1679-62252005000400016.
- ^ Bockmann, F.A.; Castro, R.M.C. (2010). "The blind catfish from the caves of Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil (Siluriformes: Heptapteridae): description, anatomy, phylogenetic relationships, natural history, and biogeography". Neotrop. Ichthyol. 8 (4): 673–706. doi:10.1590/S1679-62252010000400001. S2CID 83883005.
- ^ Sullivan, JP; Lundberg JG; Hardman M (2006). "A phylogenetic analysis of the major groups of catfishes (Teleostei: Siluriformes) using rag1 and rag2 nuclear gene sequences". Mol Phylogenet Evol. 41 (3): 636–62. Bibcode:2006MolPE..41..636S. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.05.044. PMID 16876440.
- ^ "Evolutionary history of Heptapteridae catfishes using ultraconserved elements (Teleostei, Siluriformes)". Zoologica Scripta. 50. 8 April 2021. doi:10.1111/zsc.12493. hdl:11449/210771.