Arapaiminae

Arapaiminae
Arapaima sp.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Osteoglossiformes
Family: Osteoglossidae
Subfamily: Arapaiminae
Bonaparte, 1846
Genera[1]
Synonyms

Sudidinae

Arapaiminae is a subfamily of freshwater osteoglossiform (bony-tongued) fishes belonging to the family Osteoglossidae. It includes the South American arapaimas of the Amazon and Essequibo basins and the African arowana (Heterotis niloticus) from the watersheds of the Sahelo-Sudanese region, Senegal, Gambia, and parts of Eastern Africa.[1] This subfamily is sometimes raised to the rank of family, as Arapaimidae.[2][3] A commonly used synonym is Heterotidinae,[4] but according to the ICZN, Arapaiminae has priority.[2]

Arapaimines, along with other osteoglossomorphs, are of phylogenetic and evolutionary interest due to their trans-oceanic distribution, excellent fossil record, and position as one of the oldest living teleost lineages.[3] The type-species of the group, Arapaima gigas, is an important South American food source and charismatic representative of the region.[5] Both Arapaima and Heterotis are cultured for food in their respective countries due to their heartiness and meat, and the arapaima is a prized sport-fish, being the largest truly freshwater fish.[6]

  1. ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Osteoglossidae". FishBase. July 2021 version.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Hastings, P. A.; Walker, Jr., H. J.; Galland, G. R. (2014). Fishes: a guide to their diversity. Oakland, California: University of California Press. pp. 62–64. ISBN 978-0-520-28353-4.
  4. ^ Nelson, Joseph S.; Grande, Terry C.; Wilson, Mark V. H. (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781118342336. Archived from the original on 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
  5. ^ Stewart, J. D. (2013a). "Re-description of Arapaima agassizii (Valenciennes), a rare fish from Brazil (Osteoglossimorpha: Osteoglossidae)". Copeia. 2013 (1): 38–51. doi:10.1643/CI-12-013. S2CID 84207464.
  6. ^ Vitorino, R. C.; Oliverira, C.; Margarido, V. P.; Venere, P. C. (2015). "Genetic diversity of Arapaima gigas (Schinz, 1822) (Osteoglossimorpha: Arapaimidae) in the Araguaia-Tocantins basin estimated by ISSR marker". Neotropical Ichthyology. 13 (3): 557–568. doi:10.1590/1982-0224-20150037.