Kneriidae
Kneria angolensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Gonorynchiformes
Suborder: Chanoidea
Family: Kneriidae
Günther, 1868
Genera

See text

The Kneriidae are a small family of freshwater gonorhynchiform fishes native to sub-Saharan Africa.

Most species in this family are part of the subfamily Kneriinae; they 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 singe 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.[1]

Classification

There are about 31 extant (living) species in five genera.[2] There are two subfamilies, but Phractolaeminae has commonly been regarded as a full family (in which case there is no need for recognizing Kneriinae as it would contain all four remaining genera in Kneriidae).[3][4]

In addition, the family includes the genus Mahengichthys, which only is known from Eocene fossil remains and is closer to Kneriinae than Phractolaeminae.[4][5]

References

  1. ↑ 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.
  2. ↑ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2021). "Kneriidae" in FishBase. July 2021 version.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. 1 2 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. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2014.07.013.
  5. ↑ 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. pp. 325–362. ISBN 978-3-89937-159-8.
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