African arowana

African arowana
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Osteoglossiformes
Family: Osteoglossidae
Subfamily: Arapaiminae
Genus: Heterotis
Rüppell, 1828
Species:
H. niloticus
Binomial name
Heterotis niloticus
(G. Cuvier, 1829)
Red:extant , Light red: possibly extant, Green:introduced
Synonyms

Genus

  • Clupisudis Swainson, 1839
  • Helicobranchus Hyrtl, 1854

Species

  • Clupisudis niloticus (G. Cuvier, 1829)
  • Sudis nilotica G. Cuvier, 1829
  • Sudis adansonii G. Cuvier, 1829
  • Heterotis adansonii (G. Cuvier, 1829)
  • Sudis niloticus Rüppell, 1829 (ambiguous)
  • Heterotis adansoni Valenciennes, 1847
  • Heterotis ehrenbergii Valenciennes, 1847
Heterotis niloticus - MHNT

The African arowana or Nile arowana (Heterotis niloticus) is a species of bonytongue. Despite being called an "arowana", the African arowana is more closely related to arapaimas, the only other members in the subfamily Arapaiminae, than the South American, Asian, and Australian arowanas in the subfamily Osteoglossinae (Arapaiminae is sometimes considered to be a separate family from Osteoglossidae).[2][3] Compared to these, the African arowana has a more terminal mouth and is the only one that feeds extensively on plankton.[4]

  1. ^ Diouf, K.; Akinyi, E.; Azeroual, A.; Entsua-Mensah, M.; Getahun, A.; Lalèyè, P.; Moelants, T. (2020). "Heterotis niloticus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T182580A134764025. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T182580A134764025.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Osteoglossidae". FishBase. July 2021 version.
  3. ^ Hilton, E. J.; Lavoué, S. (2018). "A review of the systematic biology of fossil and living bony-tongue fishes, Osteoglossomorpha (Actinopterygii: Teleostei)". Neotropical Ichthyology. 16 (3). doi:10.1590/1982-0224-20180031.
  4. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Heterotis niloticus". FishBase. July 2014 version.