Amblycipitidae
Encyclopedia
Amblycipitidae is a family of catfish
es, commonly known as torrent catfishes. It includes three genera
, Amblyceps
, Liobagrus
, and Xiurenbagrus
.
group containing three monophyletic genera, Amblyceps, Liobagrus, and Xiurenbagrus. Amblycipitidae is the most basal
sisoroid
family and is sister
to a clade
formed by the remaining families. The genera Amblyceps and Liobagrus are sister group
pair that is, in turn, sister to Xiurenbagrus.
, including Pakistan
across northern India
to Malaysia, China
, Korea
, and Japan
. Amblyceps are mainly distributed in India
and the Malay Peninsula
. Liobagrus fishes are distributed in the Yangtze River
basin, Taiwan
, Japan, and the Korea Peninsula. The species of the genus Xiurenbagrus are only distributed in the Pearl River
basin.
s covered by skin. An adipose fin is also present, and is fused with the caudal fin in some species. The dorsal fin base is short and the dorsal fin spine is weak. The anal fin base is short. There are four pairs of barbels
. The lateral line
is poorly developed or absent. Both Amblyceps and Liobagrus species grow to about 10 centimetres (3.9 in) SL
.
Liobagrus is more stoutly built than Amblyceps, the nostrils are close together in Amblyceps and distinctly apart in Liobagrus, and Amblyceps species have a cuplike flap above the pectoral fins that is absent in Liobagrus. Also, Amblyceps have double-folded lips and fin margins pigmented differently from the background colour, while Liobagrus have single-folded lips and fin margins paler than the background colour.
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
es, commonly known as torrent catfishes. It includes three genera
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
, Amblyceps
Amblyceps
Amblyceps is a genus of catfishes of the family Amblycipitidae.-Phylogeny:The genera Amblyceps and Liobagrus are sister group pair that is, in turn, sister to Xiurenbagrus.-Distribution and habitat:...
, Liobagrus
Liobagrus
Liobagrus is a genus of catfishes of the family Amblycipitidae.-Taxonomy:No shared derived characteristic has been found to diagnose the genus Liobagrus. However, it is maintained that this genus is currently monophyletic. Liobagrus has been placed in the family Bagridae...
, and Xiurenbagrus
Xiurenbagrus
Xiurenbagrus is a genus of catfishes of the family Amblycipitidae. It includes two species.-Taxonomy:X. xiurenensis was first described in 1981 as Liobagrus xiurenensis. However, it was realized that Liobagrus would not be monophyletic with the inclusion of this species, so Xiurenbagrus was erected...
.
Taxonomy
Amblycipitidae is a monophyleticMonophyly
In common cladistic usage, a monophyletic group is a taxon which forms a clade, meaning that it contains all the descendants of the possibly hypothetical closest common ancestor of the members of the group. The term is synonymous with the uncommon term holophyly...
group containing three monophyletic genera, Amblyceps, Liobagrus, and Xiurenbagrus. Amblycipitidae is the most basal
Basal (phylogenetics)
In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...
sisoroid
Sisoroidea
Sisoroidea is a superfamily of catfishes . It contains the four families Amblycipitidae, Akysidae, Sisoridae, and Erethistidae; many sources also include Aspredinidae. With Aspredinidae, this superfamily includes about 42 genera and 230 species.-Taxonomy:Sisoroidea is sister to the Loricarioidea...
family and is sister
Cladistics
Cladistics is a method of classifying species of organisms into groups called clades, which consist of an ancestor organism and all its descendants . For example, birds, dinosaurs, crocodiles, and all descendants of their most recent common ancestor form a clade...
to a clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
formed by the remaining families. The genera Amblyceps and Liobagrus are sister group
Cladistics
Cladistics is a method of classifying species of organisms into groups called clades, which consist of an ancestor organism and all its descendants . For example, birds, dinosaurs, crocodiles, and all descendants of their most recent common ancestor form a clade...
pair that is, in turn, sister to Xiurenbagrus.
Distribution and habitat
These kinds of fishes can be found in swift freshwater streams in southern and eastern AsiaAsia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, including Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
across northern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to Malaysia, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Amblyceps are mainly distributed in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
. Liobagrus fishes are distributed in the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
basin, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Japan, and the Korea Peninsula. The species of the genus Xiurenbagrus are only distributed in the Pearl River
Pearl River (China)
The Pearl River or less commonly, the "Guangdong River" or "Canton River" etc., , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name Pearl River is usually used as a catchment term to refer to the watersheds of the Xi Jiang , the Bei Jiang , and the Dong Jiang...
basin.
Description
Fish of this family have dorsal finDorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
s covered by skin. An adipose fin is also present, and is fused with the caudal fin in some species. The dorsal fin base is short and the dorsal fin spine is weak. The anal fin base is short. There are four pairs of barbels
Barbel (anatomy)
A barbel on a fish is a slender, whiskerlike tactile organ near the mouth. Fish that have barbels include the catfish, the carp, the goatfish, sturgeon, the zebrafish and some species of shark...
. The lateral line
Lateral line
The lateral line is a sense organ in aquatic organisms , used to detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water. Lateral lines are usually visible as faint lines running lengthwise down each side, from the vicinity of the gill covers to the base of the tail...
is poorly developed or absent. Both Amblyceps and Liobagrus species grow to about 10 centimetres (3.9 in) SL
Fish measurement
Fish measurement refers to the measuring of the length of individual fish and of various parts of their anatomy. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology.-Overall length:...
.
Liobagrus is more stoutly built than Amblyceps, the nostrils are close together in Amblyceps and distinctly apart in Liobagrus, and Amblyceps species have a cuplike flap above the pectoral fins that is absent in Liobagrus. Also, Amblyceps have double-folded lips and fin margins pigmented differently from the background colour, while Liobagrus have single-folded lips and fin margins paler than the background colour.