Order SILURIFORMES: Families AKYSIDAE, AMBLYCIPITIDAE, SISORIDAE and AMPHILIIDAE

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v. 43.0 – 31 Dec. 2023  view/download PDF

Family AKYSIDAE Stream Catfishes
5 genera · 59 species

Subfamily AKYSINAE

Akysis Bleeker 1858    a-, without; kysthos, bladder, referring to absence of a swim bladder

Akysis bilustris Ng 2011    bi-, two; lustra, five years, i.e., a decade, referring to fact that specimens in type series were collected in two expeditions exactly 10 years apart

Akysis brachybarbatus Chen 1981    brachys, short; barbatus, bearded, referring to shorter nasal barbels compared to the similar A. maculipinnis

Akysis clavulus Ng & Freyhof 2003    diminutive of clavus, nail, referring to conical tubercles on head and body

Akysis clinatus Ng & Rainboth 2005    slanting, referring to steeply sloping dorsal profile

Akysis ephippifer Ng & Kottelat 1998    ephippium, saddle; fero, to bear, referring to saddle-shaped markings on body

Akysis fontaneus Ng 2009    of or from a spring, referring to type locality, a spring-fed stream

Akysis fuliginatus Ng & Rainboth 2005    sooty, referring to its dark coloration

Akysis galeatus Page, Rachmatika & Robins 2007    helmeted, referring to bony ridges on head

Akysis hendricksoni Alfred 1966    in honor John R. Hendrickson (1921-2002), Vice-Chancellor of the East-West Center, University of Hawaii, who was Alfred’s first teacher in ichthyology; he also helped collect type

Akysis heterurus Ng 1996    heteros, different; oura, tail, referring to truncate (vs. forked) caudal fin, “distinctly different” from its congeners

Akysis longifilis Ng 2006    longus, long; filum, thread, referring to long barbels

Akysis maculipinnis Fowler 1934    macula, spot; pinna, fin, referring to speckled fins

Akysis manipurensis (Arunkumar 2000)    ensis, suffix denoting place: Manipur, India, where it is endemic

Akysis microps Ng & Tan 1999    micro-, small; ops, eye, referring to relatively small eye, smaller than the similar A. heterurus

Akysis patrator Ng, Pawangkhanant & Suwannapoom 2022    Latin for achiever or accomplisher, referring to how the discovery of this species closed a “significant gap” in the geographic distribution of the genus

Akysis pictus Günther 1883    painted or colored, referring to black coloration on anterior portion of body, which contracts into an irregular black band that runs along middle of posterior portion of body (which can be said to have a “painted on” effect or quality)

Akysis portellus Ng 2009    diminutive of porta, door, referring to relatively small mouth

Akysis prashadi Hora 1936    in honor of Baini Prashad (1894-1969), Assistant Superintendent, Zoological Survey of India, who studied this species in 1929

Akysis pulvinatus Ng 2007    elevated, referring to long base of adipose fin

Akysis recavus Ng & Kottelat 1998    curved inwards, referring to concave lateral margins of head

Akysis scorteus Page, Hadiaty & López 2007    leathern, referring to its leathery skin

Akysis variegatus (Bleeker 1846)    referring to variegated coloration: orange body with four broad, transverse, irregular dark bands, the first band (surrounding head) marbled or reticulated with orange, and orange fins and barbels, “variegated with dark” (translation)

Akysis varius Ng & Kottelat 1998    variable, referring to highly variable number of serrae on posterior edge of pectoral spine

Akysis vespa Ng & Kottelat 2004    wasp, referring to yellow-orange and brown striped pattern and to the painful sting its spines may inflict

Akysis vespertinus Ng 2008    western, referring to distribution in western Myanmar and being one of the westernmost species in the genus

Pseudobagarius Ferraris 2007    tautonymous with Akysis pseudobagarius, proposed for members of the “pseudobagarius group” of Akysis; pseudo-, false, referring to striking (but phylogenetically false) resemblance to the sisorid genus Bagarius

Pseudobagarius alfredi (Ng & Kottelat 1998)    in honor of ichthyologist Eric R. Alfred (b. 1931), former director of the National Museum of Singapore, for his “pioneering” work on the freshwater fishes of Peninsular Malaysia

Pseudobagarius baramensis (Fowler 1905)    ensis, suffix denoting place: Baram River basin, Borneo, where it is endemic

Pseudobagarius eustictus Ng & Kottelat 2021    variegated, referring to its mottled head (in contrast with nearly uniform-colored heads of congeners from the Mekong River drainage)

Pseudobagarius filifer (Ng & Rainboth 2005)    filum, thread; fero, to bear, referring to filamentous extensions of first pectoral-fin ray

Pseudobagarius fuscus (Ng & Kottelat 1996)    dusky, referring to mainly dusky brown dorsum

Pseudobagarius hardmani (Ng & Sabaj Pérez 2005)    in honor of ichthyologist Michael Hardman (b. 1978), then at the Natural History Museum (London), for his “pioneering” work on the molecular systematics of catfishes

Pseudobagarius inermis (Ng & Kottelat 2000)    unarmed, referring to lack of serrations on pectoral spine

Pseudobagarius leucorhynchus (Fowler 1934)    leuco-, white; rhynchus, snout, referring to white end of muzzle

Pseudobagarius macronemus (Bleeker 1860)    macro-, long; nema, thread, referring to longer maxillary barbels compared to presumed congener at the time, Akysis variegatus

Pseudobagarius meridionalis (Ng & Siebert 2004)    southern, referring to distribution in Barito River drainage of southern Borneo

Pseudobagarius nitidus (Ng & Rainboth 2005)    elegant, referring to its distinctive color pattern (chocolate-brown head and sides and yellow belly, with saddle-shaped yellow spots)

Pseudobagarius pseudobagarius (Roberts 1989)    pseudo-, false, referring to “striking superficial (but phylogenetically false) resemblance” to the sisorid genus Bagarius

Pseudobagarius similis (Ng & Kottelat 1998)    resembling, referring to close resemblance to P. pseudobagarius

Pseudobagarius sinensis (He 1981)    ensis, suffix denoting place: Sinica (China); described in the genus Akysis, it was believed to be the first of two species (the other being A. brachybarbatus) known from that country

Pseudobagarius subtilis (Ng & Kottelat 1998)    slender, referring to relatively long and slender body

Subfamily PARAKYSINAE

Acrochordonichthys    akrochordon, wart, referring to tuberculate skin; ichthys, fish

Acrochordonichthys chamaeleon (Vaillant 1902)    referring to rugose skin with tubercles arranged in longitudinal rows along side of body, similar to that of members of the lizard family Chamaeleonidae

Acrochordonichthys falcifer Ng & Ng 2001    falcis, sickle or scythe; fero, to bear, referring to smooth, recurved pectoral spine

Acrochordonichthys guttatus Ng & Ng 2001    speckled, referring to small brown spots on dorsal surface of head and body

Acrochordonichthys gyrinus Vidthayanon & Ng 2003    rounded or curved, referring to concave posterior margin of pectoral fin

Acrochordonichthys ischnosoma Bleeker 1858    ischno-, long or thin; soma, body, referring to elongate body

Acrochordonichthys mahakamensis Ng & Ng 2001    ensis, suffix denoting place: Mahakam River, eastern Borneo, type locality

Acrochordonichthys pachyderma Vaillant 1902    pachys, thick; derma, skin, referring to rough on covering head and body

Acrochordonichthys rugosus (Bleeker 1846)    rugose or wrinkled, referring to “glandular-verrucose” skin (translation), with warts (tubercles) on head, snout, cheeks, back, flanks and belly

Acrochordonichthys septentrionalis Ng & Ng 2001    northern, being the most northern member of the A. ischnosoma species group

Acrochordonichthys strigosus Ng & Ng 2001    slender, referring to relatively slender body compared to other members of the A. ischnosoma species group

Breitensteinia Steindachner 1881   ia, belonging to: Heinrich Breitenstein (1848-1930), German physician who served with the Dutch East Indies army; he collected fishes and reptiles in Borneo for Steindachner, including presumably type of B. insignis

Breitensteinia cessator Ng & Siebert 1998    Latin for idle fellow, referring to sluggish nature (congeners are described as being lethargic in aquaria)

Breitensteinia hypselurus Ng & Siebert 1998    hypselos, high; oura, tail, referring to relatively tall neural spines of caudal vertebrae

Breitensteinia insignis Steindachner 1881    conspicuous, probably referring to “intense” brownish-purple spots on sides, and/or yellowish-white dorsal, pectoral and anal fins that are “more or less mottled with dark purple” (translations)

Parakysis Herre 1940    para-, near, i.e., similar to Akysis but lacking an adipose fin

Parakysis anomalopteryx Roberts 1989    anomalo-, anomalous; pteryx, fin, referring to different fin-ray counts compared to only congener known at the time, P. verrucosus

Parakysis grandis Ng & Lim 1995    large, at up to 62 mm SL, largest member of genus known to date

Parakysis hystriculus Ng 2009    hairy or bearded, referring to long accessory mandibular barbels

Parakysis longirostris Ng & Lim 1995    longus, long; rostris, snout, referring to relatively long snout

Parakysis notialis Ng & Kottelat 2003    southern, referring to distribution in Barito River drainage of southern Borneo

Parakysis verrucosus Herre 1940    covered with verrucae, or warts, the skin “covered everywhere with very small granules or tubercles”


Family AMBLYCIPITIDAE Torrent Catfishes
4 genera · 48 species                

Amblyceps Blyth 1858    amblys, blunt; ceps, head, referring to “much broader and flatter” head compared to Olyra (Olyridae)

Amblyceps accari Dahanukar, Raghavan, Ali & Britz 2016    accari (pronounced achchari), Kannada word for “surprise,” referring to the authors’ excitement in discovering a new Amblyceps species in the Western Ghats, India

Amblyceps apangi Nath & Dey 1989    in honor of Sri Gegong Apang (b. 1949), Honorable Chief Minister (and ex-head of fisheries) of Arunachal Pradesh, India, where it is endemic

Amblyceps arunchalensis Nath & Dey 1989    ensis, suffix denoting place: Arunachal Pradesh, India, where it is endemic

Amblyceps caecutiens Blyth 1858    blinding, i.e., becoming blind or nearing blindness, allusion not explained, possibly referring to its minute eyes

Amblyceps carinatum Ng 2005    keeled, referring to long, low adipose fin

Amblyceps cerinum Ng & Wright 2010    wax-colored, referring to yellowish coloration in life

Amblyceps foratum Ng & Kottelat 2000     to pierce, referring to its pungent sting

Amblyceps hmolaii Singh, Lalronunga & Ramliana 2022    in honor of Hmolai, a “famous” Lakher chief of Lushai hills (present-day Mizoram state, India), where this catfish occurs

Amblyceps improcerum Ng & Kottelat 2018    im-, not; procerus, tall, referring to relatively short caudal-fin lobes and adipose-fin base compared to nearly all congeners

Amblyceps kurzii (Day 1872)    in honor of “S. Kurz, Esq.,” who collected type; probably German botanist and garden director Wilhelm Sulpiz Kurz (1834-1878) [Day also spelled the name as “Kurtz,” probably in error]

Amblyceps laticeps (McClelland 1842)    latus, wide; ceps, head, presumably referring to its “head much depressed at the snout”

Amblyceps macropterus Ng 2001    macro-, long; pterus, fin, referring to its relatively large adipose fin

Amblyceps mangois (Hamilton 1822)    latinization of Manggoi, local Gangetic name for this catfish

Amblyceps motumensis Abujam, Tamang, Nimasow & Das 2022    –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Motum River, Siang River drainage, Arunachal Pradesh, India, type locality [provisionally included here; name proposed in an electronically distributed publication without ZooBank registration, so it is unavailable (at least for now)]

Amblyceps murraystuarti Chaudhuri 1919i    n honor of geologist Murray Stuart, Geological Survey of India, who collected type

Amblyceps platycephalus Ng & Kottelat 2000    platys, flat; cephalus, head, referring to its extremely depressed head

Amblyceps protentum Ng & Wright 2009    stretched, referring to elongate body relative to other Indochinese congeners

Amblyceps serratum Ng & Kottelat 2000    toothed like a saw, referring to serrated pectoral spine

Amblyceps tenuispinis Blyth 1860    tenuis, thin; spinis, spine, referring to short and slender dorsal- and pectoral-fin spines

Amblyceps torrentis Linthoingambi & Vishwanath 2008     referring to its occurrence in torrential waters

Amblyceps tuberculatum Linthoingambi & Vishwanath 2008    referring to its tuberculated skin

Amblyceps variegatum Ng & Kottelat 2000    variegated (of many colors), referring to its mottled coloration

Amblyceps waikhomi Darshan, Kachari, Dutta, Ganguly & Das 2016    in honor of Waikhom Vishwanath (b. 1954), Manipur University, (Canchipur, India), for his “outstanding” contribution to freshwater ichthyology in the Indian subcontinent

Amblyceps yunnanensis Zhang, Long, Xiao & Chen 2016    –ensis, suffix denoting place: western Yunnan Province, China, type locality

Liobagrus Hilgendorf 1878    leio-, smooth, referring to lack of vomerine and palatine teeth; bagrus, a catfish then placed in the group “Bagrina” of the family Siluridae

Liobagrus aequilabris Wright & Ng 2008     aequalis, equal; labrum, lip, referring to equal lengths of upper and lower jaws

Liobagrus andersoni Regan 1908    in honor of American zoologist Malcolm Playfair Anderson (1879-1919), who collected type

Liobagrus anguillicauda Nichols 1926    anguilla, eel; cauda, tail, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to adipose fin confluent with caudal fin, similar to confluent dorsal-caudal fins of anguillid eels

Liobagrus brevispina Xie, Cao & Zhang 2022    brevis, short; spina, spine, referring to its pectoral-fin spine, shorter than dorsal fin, not reaching vertical line of dorsal-fin origin

Liobagrus chengduensis Chen, Guo, Wu & Wen 2022    –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China, type locality

Liobagrus chenghaiensis Sun, Ren & Zhang 2013    ensis, suffix denoting place: Chenghai Lake, Yunnan Province, China, type locality

Liobagrus formosanus Regan 1908    anus, belonging to: Formosa (Taiwan), where it is endemic

Liobagrus geumgangensis Kim, Yun & Park 2023    –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Geum River (Geumgang in Korean), Namyang-myeon, Cheongyang-gun, South Korea, type locality

Liobagrus huaiheensis Chen, Wu & Wen 2021    ensis, suffix denoting place: Huaihe River basin, Henan Province, China, where type locality (Shihe River) is situated

Liobagrus hyeongsanensis Kim, Kim & Park 2015    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Hyeongsan River, South Korea, type locality

Liobagrus kingi Tchang 1935    in honor of malacologist Sohtsu G. King (1886-1949), committee member, Fan Memorial Institute of Biology, which published Tchang’s study

Liobagrus marginatoides (Wu 1930)    oides, having the form of: Liobagrus marginatus, to which it is compared

Liobagrus marginatus (Günther 1892)    margined, referring to white margins on all fins

Liobagrus mediadiposalis Mori 1936    alis, adjectival suffix: media-, middle, presumably referring to high and long adipose fin centered on back between dorsal and caudal fins

Liobagrus nigricauda Regan 1904    nigra-, black; cauda, tail, referring to blackish blotch and band on tail of small specimens and almost entirely blackish tail of adults

Liobagrus obesus Son, Kim & Choo 1987    fat or stout, referring to plump body shape

Liobagrus pseudostyani Chen & Guo 2021    pesudo-, false, previously misidentified as L. styani

Liobagrus reinii Hilgendorf 1878    in honor of “Prof. Rein,” who collected type, probably German geographer Johannes Justus Rein (1835-1918), who explored Japan in 1874-1875

Liobagrus somjinensis Park & Kim 2011    ensis, suffix denoting place: Somjin River, South Korea, type locality

Liobagrus styani Regan 1908    in honor of Frederic William Styan (1838-1934), tea trader and natural history collector, who “presented” type

Nahangbagrus Nguyen & Vo 2005    Nahang, referring to Nà Hang district, Tuyen Quang, Viêt Nam, where N. songamensis is endemic; bagrus, latinization of bagre, which, according to Marcgrave (1648), is a Portuguese word for catfish used in Brazil (possibly first applied to the marine ariid Bagre bagre), often used as a suffix for catfish names

Nahangbagrus songamensis Nguyen & Vo 2005    ensis, suffix denoting place: Gâm River (Sông Gâm) drainage, Viêt Nam, where it is endemic

Xiurenbagrus Chen & Lundberg 1995    Xiuren, referring to Xiuren River, type locality of X. xiuriensis; bagrus, latinization of bagre, which, according to Marcgrave (1648), is a Portuguese word for catfish used in Brazil (possibly first applied to the marine ariid Bagre bagre), often used as a suffix for catfish names

Xiurenbagrus dorsalis Xiu, Yang & Zheng 2014    dorsal, referring to unique position of dorsal-fin origin (posterior to vertical line at tip of pectoral fins) when compared with its congeners

Xiurenbagrus gigas Zhao, Lan & Zhang 2004    giant, the largest known species in the family (up to 164.5 mm SL)

Xiurenbagrus xiurenensis (Yue 1981)     ensis, suffix denoting place: Xiuren River, Pearl River drainage, Guangxi Province, China, type locality


Family SISORIDAE Hillstream Catfishes
26 genera · 322 species · Taxonomic note: includes taxa sometimes placed in Erethistidae.

Subfamily SISORINAE

Ayarnangra Roberts 2001    Ayar-, contraction of Ayeyar-, referring to Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River basin, Myanmar, where A. estuarius is endemic; Nangra, sisorid genus with which it is most superficially resembles

Ayarnangra estuarius Roberts 2001    estuarine, known only from large tidal rivers

Bagarius Bleeker 1853    tautonymous with Pimelodus bagarius, derived from vaghari, Bengali name for B. bagarius in India

Bagarius bagarius (Hamilton 1822)    derived from vaghari, Bengali name for this catfish in India

Bagarius lica Volz 1903    apparent latinization of lika, Malay name for this catfish in Sumatra

Bagarius rutilus Ng & Kottelat 2000    reddish, referring to orange fins in life and to type locality (Red River, Viêt Nam)

Bagarius suchus Roberts 1983    crocodile, presumably referring to heavily keratinized skin, forming ridges and protrusions that resemble the skin of a crocodile

Bagarius vegrandis Ng & Kottelat 2021    Latin for “not very large,” referring to small body size (up to 215.8 mm) compared with congeners

Caelatoglanis Ng & Kottelat 2005    caeltus, engrained in relief, referring to distinct thoracic adhesive apparatus and plicate upper lip; glanis, sheatfish (Silurus glanis), now used as a general term for catfish

Caelatoglanis zonatus Ng & Kottelat 2005    belted or girdled, referring to yellow and brown bands on body

Conta Hora 1950    tautonymous with Pimelodus conta, latinization of Khongta, a local Bengali name for this catfish in India (some sources give the local name as kuta kanti)

Conta conta (Hamilton 1822)    latinization of Khongta, a local Bengali name for this catfish in India (some sources give the local name as kuta kanti)

Conta pectinata Ng 2005    comb-toothed, referring to comb-like appearance of anteriorly directed serrae on anterior edge of pectoral spine

Erethistes Müller & Troschel 1849    etymology not explained, presumably erethizon, porcupine and –istes, adjectival suffix, i.e., porcupine-like, referring to strong and serrated dorsal- and pectoral-fin spines

Erethistes filamentosa (Blyth 1860)    referring to long filament extending from upper segment of caudal fin

Erethistes hara (Hamilton 1822)    presumably a local Bengali name for this catfish in India

Erethistes horai (Misra 1976)    in honor of ichthyologist Sunder Lal Hora (1896-1955), Zoological Survey of India, whose figured example (1950) of H. hara probably served as basis of this species

Erethistes jerdoni (Day 1870)    patronym not identified but clearly in honor of physician-naturalist Thomas Caverhill Jerdon (1811-1872), who described many fishes from India

Erethistes koladynensis (Anganthoibi & Vishwanath 2009)    ensis, suffix denoting place: Koladyne River, Lawntlai District, Mizoram, India, where it is endemic

Erethistes longissima (Ng & Kottelat 2007)    longest, referring to relatively long caudal peduncle

Erethistes mesembrina (Ng & Kottelat 2007)    southern, the southern-most of all Hara (now Erethistes) species

Erethistes minuscula (Ng & Kottelat 2007)    rather small, referring to small size (up to 46.7 mm SL)

Erethistes nareshi (Mahapatra & Kar 2015)    in honor of the “renowned” ichthyologist Naresh Chandra Datta (1934-2018), former Professor and Head of the Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta

Erethistes pusillus Müller & Troschel 1849    very small, presumably referring to size (described at 5 cm)

Erethistes spinulus (Ng & Kottelat 2007)    diminutive of spina, thorn, referring to short dorsal-fin spine

Erethistoides Hora 1950    oides, having the form of: Erethistes, “allied [to that genus] in most respects” but with a strongly depressed snout and a unique arrangement of serrations along leading margin of pectoral-fin spine

Erethistoides ascita Ng & Edds 2005    strange, referring to unusual pattern of serration on anterior edge of pectoral spine

Erethistoides cavatura Ng & Edds 2005    cavity, referring to its large eyes and nostrils

Erethistoides infuscatus Ng 2006    darkened, referring to its dark-brown coloration

Erethistoides longispinis Ng, Ferraris & Neely 2012    longus, long; spinus, thorn, referring to relatively long dorsal-fin spine compared to congeners

Erethistoides luteolus Ng, Ferraris & Neely 2012    yellowish, referring to presence of yellow in its color pattern, a chief diagnostic feature

Erethistoides montana Hora 1950    mountain, referring to occurrence in torrential mountain “streamlets” of Nepal and India

Erethistoides pipri Hora 1950    referring to Pipri, Mirzapur District, Uttar Pradesh, India, type locality

Erethistoides senkhiensis Tamang, Chaudhry & Choudhury 2008    ensis, suffix denoting place: Senkhi stream, Arunachal Pradesh, India, type locality

Erethistoides sicula Ng 2005    dagger, referring to short pectoral-fin spines

Erethistoides vesculus Ng, Ferraris & Neely 2012    diminutive of vescus, small, thin or feeble, referring to relatively small dorsal- and pectoral-fin spines

Gagata Bleeker 1858    tautonymous with Pimelodus gagata, a local Bengali name for this species in India

Gagata cenia (Hamilton 1822)    presumably a local Bengali name for this species in India

Gagata dolichonema He 1996    dolichos, long; nema, thread, referring to longer maxillary barbels compared to G. gagata

Gagata gagata (Hamilton 1822)    local Bengali name for this species in India

Gagata itchkeea (Sykes 1839)    Marathi vernacular for this species in India, which, as Sykes explained in 1841, he adopted “so that naturalists who travel the country can always obtain” the species

Gagata melanopterus Roberts & Ferraris 1998    melanos, black; pterus, fin, referring to blackened (at least distally) dorsal, anal, pectoral and pelvic fins

Gagata pakistanica Mirza, Parveen & Javed 1999    ica, belonging to: Pakistan, where it is endemic

Gagata rhodobarbus Bhakat & Kumar Sinha 2019    rhodo-, rosy; barbus, barbel, referring to its rosy red barbels

Gagata sexualis Tilak 1970    sexual, only member of genus known at time of description known to be sexually dimorphic

Glyptothorax Blyth 1860    glyptos, engraved; thorax, breastplate, referring to “pectoral adhesive disk grooved [e.g., engraved or striated] longitudinally”

Glyptothorax alaknandi Tilak 1969    of Alaknanda River, Pauri Garwhal, Uttar Pradesh, India, type locality (also occurs in Nepal)

Glyptothorax amnestus Ng & Kottelat 2016    forgotten, referring to its having been misidentified for more than 170 years

Glyptothorax anamalaiensis Silas 1952    ensis, suffix denoting place: Anamalai Hills, Western Ghats, India, type locality

Glyptothorax annandalei Hora 1923    in honor of zoologist-anthropologist Thomas Nelson Annandale (1876-1924), Director, Indian Museum (Calcutta), who collected type

Glyptothorax armeniacus (Berg 1918)    Armenian, referring to distribution in Upper Armenia (now present-day Turkey; also occurs in Iran)

Glyptothorax ater Anganthoibi & Vishwanath 2011    black, referring to its dark body

Glyptothorax botius (Hamilton 1822)    presumably a local Bengali name for this species in India

Glyptothorax brevipinnis Hora 1923    brevis, short; pinnis, fin, referring to longest ray of dorsal fin, “considerably” shorter than length of body and shorter than similar ray on G. annandalei

Glyptothorax buchanani Smith 1945    in honor of A. R. Buchanan, Borneo Company, Ltd., who in 1935 made “small but valuable collections of fishes from the Mechem [in northern Thailand] and various tributaries thereof, from which no fishes had previously been obtained for scientific purposes”

Glyptothorax burmanicus Prashad & Mukerji 1929    Burmese, described from the Myitkyina District of Upper Burma (now Myanmar; also occurs in China)

Glyptothorax callopterus Smith 1945    callo-, beautiful; pterus, fin, presumably referring to attractive colorations of fins: dorsal (black with a narrow white edge and a median white bar), caudal (reddish brown with small black spots, white lobes and a white U-shaped area), anal (white with a blackish-brown base and brown spot on median part of anterior rays), ventral (white), and pectoral (whitish, obscurely mottled with light and dark brown on upper surface)

Glyptothorax caudimaculatus Anganthoibi & Vishwanath 2011    caudi-, tail; maculatus, stained or spotted, referring to oval blue-black spot on caudal-fin base and/or V-shaped dark-brown band on tail

Glyptothorax cavia (Hamilton 1822)    presumably a local Bengali name for this species in India

Glyptothorax chimtuipuiensis Anganthoibi & Vishwanath 2010    ensis, suffix denoting place: Chimtuipui River, Mizoram, India, type locality

Glyptothorax churamanii Rameshori & Vishwanath 2012    in honor of Churamani (also known as Lalchharliana, no other information available), for “immense help” in the collection of this species

Glyptothorax clavatus Rameshori & Vishwanath 2014    pointed or prickled, referring to its tuberculate skin

Glyptothorax conirostris (Steindachner 1867)    conus, cone; rostris, snout, referring to rounded snout

Glyptothorax coracinus Ng & Rainboth 2008    latinization of the Greek korakinos, like a raven, referring to its dark coloration

Glyptothorax cous (Linnaeus 1766)    etymology not explained, presumably a local Syrian name for this catfish

Glyptothorax daemon Freyhof, Kaya, Abdullah & Geiger 2021    Greek for spirit or evil spirit, interpreted by the authors to mean “ghost,” referring to its cryptic behavior, i.e., how it is always hiding in deep substrate (Jörg Freyhof, pers. comm.)

Glyptothorax dakpathari Tilak & Husain 1976    of Dakpathar, District Dehra Dun, Uttar Pradesh, India, where type locality (Yamuna River, below Barrage) is situated

Glyptothorax davissinghi Manimekalan & Das 1998    in honor of the late Davis Franc Singh, Senior Scientist, Sálim Ali Center for Ornithology and Natural History, who was the “brain” behind for the survey that collected type and for 10-plus years fish and fish-habitat conservation work in the Western Ghats of India

Glyptothorax decussatus Ng & Kottelat 2016    divided crosswise in the form of an X, referring to dark vertical mark at base of caudal fin, which is shaped like an irregular cross

Glyptothorax deqinensis Mo & Chu 1986    ensis, suffix denoting place: Dequin County, Yunnan Province, China, type locality

Glyptothorax dikrongensis Tamang & Chaudhry 2011    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Dikrong River, Arunchal Pradesh, northeastern India, where it appears to be endemic

Glyptothorax distichus Kosygin, Singh & Gurumayum 2020    di-, two; stichus, line or row, referring to two broad, longitudinal stripes on body 

Glyptothorax dorsalis Vinciguerra 1890    dorsal, referring to elevated dorsal fin, its height greater than height of body

Glyptothorax elankadensis Plamoottil & Abraham 2013    ensis, suffix denoting place: Elankad, Idukki district, Kerala, India, type locality

Glyptothorax exodon Ng & Rachmatika 2005    exo-, out; odontos, referring to exposed premaxillary teeth

Glyptothorax famelicus Ng & Kottelat 2016    hungry, starved or famished, referring to its very slender body and caudal peduncle (Heok Hee Ng, pers. comm., etymology missing from published description)

Glyptothorax filicatus Ng & Freyhof 2008    adorned with ferns, referring to frond-like arrangement of skin ridges on thoracic adhesive apparatus

Glyptothorax fokiensis (Rendahl 1925)    ensis, suffix denoting place: Fokien (now Fujian) Province, China, type locality

Glyptothorax forabilis Ng & Kottelat 2017    Latin adjective meaning “that which may be pierced” or vulnerable, referring to its conservation status (very limited distribution threatened by hydropower and agriculture)

Glyptothorax fucatus Jiang, Ng, Wang & Chen 2012    painted or colored, referring to unusual color pattern of sides (ventrally becoming paler immediately below lateral line)

Glyptothorax fuscus Fowler 1934    brown, referring to body coloration

Glyptothorax garhwali Tilak 1969    of Pauri Garhwal, Uttar Pradesh, India, type locality (also occurs in Nepal)

Glyptothorax giudikyensis Kosygin, Singh & Gurumayum 2020    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Giudiky stream, near Langpram village, Tamenglong District, Manipur, India, type locality

Glyptothorax gopii Kosygin, Das, Singh & Chowdhury 2019    in honor of Koottala Chakkappan Gopi, retired scientist of the Zoological Survey of India, for his contribution to Indian ichthyology

Glyptothorax gracilis (Günther 1864)    slender, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its head, “rather longer than broad”

Glyptothorax granosus Jiang, Ng, Wang & Chen 2012    full of grain, referring to appearance suggested by prominent tubercles in juveniles

Glyptothorax granulus Vishwanath & Linthoingambi 2007    full of grain, referring to granules evenly distributed across entire body except head (which is plain)

Glyptothorax hainanensis (Nichols & Pope 1927)    ensis, suffix denoting place: Hainan Island, China, where it is endemic

Glyptothorax heokheei Singh, Chowdhury, Gurumayum & Kosygin 2023    in honor of Heok Hee Ng, Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore, for his “valuable” contributions to the taxonomy and systematics of Asian catfishes

Glyptothorax honghensis Li 1984    ensis, suffix denoting place: Hong River basin, Yunnan Province, China, type locality (also occurs in Viêt Nam and Laos)

Glyptothorax horai (Fowler 1934)    in honor of ichthyologist Sunder Lal Hora (1896-1955), Zoological Survey of India, in appreciation of his “valuable” paper on Thai fishes in 1923

Glyptothorax housei Herre 1942    in honor of Mr. E. N. House, manager of the Puthutotam Estate, “to whose hospitality and generous assistance the success of [Herre’s] brief visit to the Anamallai Hills [type locality, Pollachi District, southern India] is due”

Glyptothorax igniculus Ng & Kullander 2013    little flame, referring to lanceolate, flame-shaped central depression in thoracic adhesive apparatus

Glyptothorax indicus Talwar 1991    Indian, presumably referring to distribution in India or the Indian subcontinent (occurs in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan)

Glyptothorax interspinalus (Mai 1978)    inter, between or middle; spinalum, latinization of spinule, referring to 5-6 spinules between dorsal and adipose fins

Glyptothorax irroratus Ng & Kottelat 2023    Latin for covered with dew (i.e., besprinkled with drops or particles), referring to irregular tuberculation on sides of body and caudal peduncle

Glyptothorax jalalensis Balon & Hensel 1970    ensis, suffix denoting place: near Jalalabad, Afghanistan, type locality (also occurs in Pakistan)

Glyptothorax jayarami Rameshori & Vishwanath 2012    in memory of ichthyologist Kottore Chidambaram Jayaram (1926-2011), Zoological Survey of India, for his “substantial contribution” to Indian ichthyology

Glyptothorax kailashi Kosygin, Singh & Mitra 2020    in honor of Kailash Chandra, Director, Zoological Survey of India, for his contribution to the study of the faunal diversity of India

Glyptothorax kashmirensis Hora 1923    ensis, suffix denoting place: Kashmir Valley, India, type locality (also occurs in Nepal and Pakistan)

Glyptothorax keluk Ng & Kottelat 2016    Malay word meaning curve, referring to convex dorsoposterior margin of adipose fin

Glyptothorax ketambe Ng & Hadiaty 2009    named after its type locality, the Ketambe research station, northern Sumatra, which is world renowned as a site for the study of the Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii)

Glyptothorax kudremukhensis Gopi 2007    ensis, suffix denoting place: Kudremukh National Park, Western Ghats, India, type locality

Glyptothorax kurdistanicus (Berg 1931)    icus, belonging to: Kurdistan, Iran, type locality (also occurs in Iraq and Turkey)

Glyptothorax lairamkhullensis Devi, Linthoingambi & Singh 2023    –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lairam Khullen Village, Manipur, India, type locality

Glyptothorax lampris Fowler 1934    handsome, referring to its “striking and contrasted coloration”

Glyptothorax lanceatus Ng, Jiang & Chen 2012    made into a lance, referring to narrow thoracic adhesive apparatus, which vaguely resembles the tip of a lance

Glyptothorax laosensis Fowler 1934    ensis, suffix denoting place: Fowler defines Laos as Thailand (type locality); it occurs in Laos, Thailand and China

Glyptothorax lonah (Sykes 1839)    Marathi vernacular for this species in India, which, as Sykes explained in 1841, he adopted “so that naturalists who travel the country can always obtain” the species

Glyptothorax longicauda Li 1984    longus, long; cauda, tail, said to have the longest caudal peduncle in the genus

Glyptothorax longinema Li 1984    longus, long; nema, thread, referring to long nasal barbels, reaching beyond the orbit

Glyptothorax longjiangensis Mo & Chu 1986    ensis, suffix denoting place: Longjiang River, Tengchong County, Yunnan Province, China, type locality

Glyptothorax maceriatus Ng & Lalramliana 2012    enclosed or walled in, referring to central depression in the thoracic adhesive apparatus, which is almost completely enclosed by skin ridges

Glyptothorax macromaculatus Li 1984    macro-, long or large; maculatus, blotched, referring to saddle-like vertical bands or blotches on sides

Glyptothorax madraspatanus (Day 1873)    presumably latinization of Madrasapattinam (Madras Town), precursor to Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu, India, type locality

Glyptothorax major (Boulenger 1894)    greater, presumably referring to larger size (13 cm) compared to other Akysis (original genus, ~4.5 cm) known at the time

Glyptothorax malabarensis Gopi 2010    ensis, suffix denoting place: Malabar, an older name for the region of northern Kerala, India, where it is endemic

Glyptothorax manipurensis Menon 1955    ensis, suffix denoting place: Manipur State, Assam, India, type locality

Glyptothorax mibangi Darshan, Dutta, Kachari, Gogoi & Das 2015    in honor of Tamo Mibang, Vice-Chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University (Doimukh, India), “whose patronage has continually been extended to freshwater-fish research and conservation” in the Eastern Himalayan region of India, where this catfish occurs

Glyptothorax minimaculatus Li 1984    mini-, small; maculatus, spotted, referring to many black spots on sides and caudal fin

Glyptothorax motbungensis Premananda & Singh 2023    –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Motbung, Senapati District, Manipur, India, where type locality (Imphal River) is situated

Glyptothorax nelsoni Ganguly, Datta & Sen 1972    in honor of Philip R. Nelson (1918-2008), Chief, Branch of Inland Fisheries, U. S. National Marine Fisheries Service, Washington, D.C. (USA), “for his kind visit to our laboratory as well as for encouragement”

Glyptothorax ngapang Vishwanath & Linthoingambi 2007    local Manipuri name for this catfish in India

Glyptothorax nieuwenhuisi (Vaillant 1902)    in honor of Anton Willem Nieuwenhuis (1854-1953), Dutch medical officer, ethnographer and explorer, who traveled extensively in Borneo and collected type

Glyptothorax obliquimaculatus Jiang, Chen & Yang 2010    obliqui-, oblique; maculatus, blotched, referring to oblique blotches scattered along lateral surface

Glyptothorax pallens Mousavi-Sabet, Eagderi, Vatandoust & Freyhof 2021    Latin for pale, referring to its pale color

Glyptothorax pallozonus (Lin 1934)    pallid, pale; zonus, zone, referring to white band along lateral line

Glyptothorax panda Ferraris & Britz 2005    referring to its color pattern, which reminded the authors of the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) of China

Glyptothorax pantherinus Anganthoibi & Wishwanath 2013    leopard-like, referring to its “prominent mottled skin”

Glyptothorax pasighatensis Arunkumar 2016    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Pashighat, East Siang District, Arunachal Pradesh, India, type locality

Glyptothorax pectinopterus (McClelland 1842)    pectino-, raked or combed; pterus, fin, possibly referring to transverse striations on pectoral and ventral fins

Glyptothorax pedunculatus Roberts 2021    with a peduncle, referring to its “exceptionally slender” caudal peduncle, the slenderest in the genus

Glyptothorax pictus Ng & Kottelat 2016    painted, referring to its distinctive color pattern among Sundaic congeners except for G. decussatus, featuring prominent dark vertical bars at level of adipose-fin base and base of caudal fin (Heok Hee Ng, pers. comm., etymology missing from published description)

Glyptothorax platypogon (Valenciennes 1840)    platys, flat; pogon, beard, presumably referring to shape of barbels, but this character is not mentioned

Glyptothorax platypogonides (Bleeker 1855)    oides, having the form of: G. platypogon, to which it is “very closely related” (translated)

Glyptothorax plectilis Ng & Hadiaty 2008    plaited or complicated, referring to complex pattern of striae on adhesive apparatus

Glyptothorax poonaensis Hora 1938    ensis, suffix denoting place: Poona (and its environs), Mumbai State, Western Ghats, India, where it occurs

Glyptothorax porrectus Ng & Kottelat 2017    stretched out or extended, referring to its elongate, thin body

Glyptothorax prashadi Mukerji 1932    in honor of Baini Prashad (1894-1969), Superintendent, Zoological Survey of India, “for his kindness in reading through [Mukerji’s] manuscript”

Glyptothorax primusplicae Shangningam & Laishram Kosygin 2023    primus, first; plicae, plural of plica, a fold or ridge of tissue, the first species of Glyptothorax having plicae on the ventral surfaces of paired fins in the Chindwin-Irrawaddy River drainage

Glyptothorax prionotos Ng & Kottelat 2023    Greek for “made like a saw” or serrated, referring to serrated (vs. smooth) posterior margin of dorsal spine, a major diagnostic character

Glyptothorax punjabensis Mirza & Kashmiri 1971    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Punjab, Pakistan, where it appears to be widely distributed

Glyptothorax quadriocellatus (Mai 1978)    quadri-, fourfold; ocellatus, having little spots, referring to four white spots on black body (although description indicates there are six: in front of and behind adipose fin, in front of dorsal fin, behind eyes, in front of and behind anal fin)

Glyptothorax radiolus Ng & Lalramiliana 2013    diminutive of radius, ray or rod, referring to its narrow, elongate appearance

Glyptothorax robustus (Boeseman 1966)    referring to its “very robust” body, “[v]ery stoutly built”

Glyptothorax rugimentum Ng & Kottelat 2008    ruga, crease; mentum, chin, referring to unculiferous skin ridges on gular region

Glyptothorax rupiri Kosygin, Singh & Rath 2021    in honor of forest officer Rupir Boli, Forest Department, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, India, for his help in collecting specimens during the senior author’s survey of Arunachal Pradesh

Glyptothorax saisii (Jenkins 1910)    patronym not identified, nor can identity be inferred based on available information

Glyptothorax sardashtensis Jokar, Kamangar, Ghaderi & Freyhof 2023    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Sardasht County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran, type locality (also location of a memorial for the victims of a chemical attack in the area on 28 June 1987)

Glyptothorax schmidti (Volz 1904)    in honor of geologist Carl Schmidt (1862-1923), Basel University (Switzerland), to whom Volz owed his “trip around the world” (translation)

Glyptothorax scrobiculus Ng & Lalramliana 2012    Latin for a little ditch, referring to diagnostic presence of furrow running along entire length of ventral surface of pectoral spine

Glyptothorax senapatiensis Premananda, Kosygin & Saidullah 2015    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Senapati district, Manipur, India, type locality

Glyptothorax siangensis Singh, Kosygin, Rath & Gurumayum 2023    –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Siang River, Arunachal Pradesh, India, type locality

Glyptothorax silviae Coad 1981    in honor of Coad’s wife Sylvie, for her assistance with field work in Iran under “trying conditions”

Glyptothorax sinensis (Regan 1908)    ensis, suffix denoting place: Sinica (China), the first Chinese Glyptothorax to be described (also occurs in India and Myanmar)

Glyptothorax steindachneri (Pietschmann 1913)    in honor of Pietschmann’s Austrian colleague, ichthyologist Franz Steindachner (1834-1919)

Glyptothorax stibaros Ng & Kottelat 2016    stout or sturdy, referring to its relatively deep body (when compared to caudal peduncle depth)

Glyptothorax stocki Mirza & Nijssen 1978    in honor of carcinologist Jan Hendrik Stock (1931-1997), Institute of Taxonomic Zoology, Zoological Museum, University of Amsterdam

Glyptothorax stolickae (Steindachner 1867)    in honor of paleontologist Ferdinand Stoliczka (1838-1874), who collected type (and that of G. conirostris, described in same paper) [spelled stoličkae by Steindachner but caron is deleted per ICZN Art. 32.5.2.1, which prompted some authors to incorrectly emend spelling to stoliczkae; although named after a man, some classically trained zoologists latinized the names of individuals whose names ended with the letter “a” by adding an “e” to the spelling]

Glyptothorax strabonis Ng & Freyhof 2008    one who squints, referring to its small eyes (6.2-6.5% HL)

Glyptothorax striatus (McClelland 1842)    referring to “striated sucker on the breast”

Glyptothorax sufii Asghar Bashir & Mirza 1975    in honor of S. M. K. Sufi, “one of the pioneer ichthyologists of Pakistan”

Glyptothorax sykesi (Day 1873)    in honor of Col. William Henry Sykes (1790-1872), Indian Army officer and naturalist, who brought his collection of Indian fishes to he British Museum in 1831, including type of this one

Glyptothorax telchitta (Hamilton 1822)    presumably a local name in Bengal (now Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal), and the Indian state of Bihar

Glyptothorax trewavasae Hora 1938    in honor of ichthyologist Ethelwynn Trewavas (1900-1993), British Museum of Natural History, who helped Hora distinguish some of the fishes described in his paper based on specimens at the British Museum

Glyptothorax trilineatus Blyth 1860    tri-, three; lineatus, lined, referring to three longitudinal yellow lines, one along entire ridge of back from occiput to base of tail, the others along the lateral line

Glyptothorax vatandousti Jouladeh-Roudbar, Ghanavi & Freyhof 2023    in honor of Saber Vatandoust (Azad Islamic University of Babol), for his contributions to the taxonomy of fishes in Iran; he was also the ichthyology professor of the first author

Glyptothorax ventrolineatus Vishwanath & Linthoingambi 2006    ventro-, ventral; lineatus, lined, referring to light mid-ventral band

Glyptothorax verrucosus Rameshori and Vishwanath 2012    full of warts, referring to dense tuberculations on the body

Glyptothorax viridis Shangningam & Kosygin 2023    Latin for green, referring to uniformly green body color in life

Glyptothorax waikhomi Shangningam & Kosygin 2022    in honor of Waikhom Vishwanath (b. 1954), Manipur University (Canchipur, India), “showing reverence” for his contribution to the freshwater fish diversity of northeast India

Glyptothorax yuensis Shangningam & Kosygin 2022    –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Yu River, Chindwin-Irrawaddy basin, Myanmar, type locality

Glyptothorax zanaensis Wu, He & Chu 1981    ensis, suffix denoting place: Zana, Nujiang (upper Salween River) drainage in Tibet, type locality

Glyptothorax zhujiangensis Lin 2003    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Zhujiang River system, where it appears to be endemic

Gogangra Roberts 2001    replacement name for Gangra Roberts & Ferraris 1998, preoccupied in Lepidoptera: go-, meaning not explained; Gangra, hybrid word coined from Gagata and Nangra, referring to the two genera in which G. viridescens had been placed

Gogangra laevis Ng 2005    smooth, referring to gently curved (vs. distinctly notched) anteroventral margin of opercle

Gogangra viridescens (Hamilton 1822)    viridis, green; –escens, becoming, presumably referring to glossy greenish-brown and/or 2-3 light-green bars across back

Nangra Day 1877    tautonymous with Pimelodus nangra, presumably a local Bengali name for this fish along the Kosi River in India

Nangra assamensis Sen & Biswas 1994    ensis, suffix denoting place: Assam, India, type locality (also occurs in Nepal)

Nangra bucculenta Roberts & Ferraris 1998    with expanded cheeks, referring to its “relatively expanded” cheeks

Nangra nangra (Hamilton 1822)    etymology not explained, presumably a local Bengali name for this fish along the Kosi River in India

Nangra ornata Roberts & Ferraris 1998    decorated or embellished, referring to bold spots on caudal peduncle and dorsal-fin base

Nangra robusta Mirza & Awan 1973    stout or full-bodied, allusion not explained and a curious choice since it is described as “slim-bodied” and “small-sized”

Sisor Hamilton 1822    presumably a local name in Bengal (now Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal), and the Indian state of Bihar

Sisor barakensis Vishwanath & Darshan 2005    ensis, suffix denoting place: Barak River, Brahmaputra River drainage, Manipur, India, where it is endemic

Sisor chennuah Ng & Lahkar 2003    local name for this species in Assam State, India, where it is endemic to the Brahmaputra River drainage

Sisor pakistanicus Javed & Mirza 2011    icus, belonging to: Pakistan, referring to type locality and nationality of its first collector

Sisor rabdophorus Hamilton 1822    rhabdos, rod; ophorus, bearer, referring to first caudal-fin ray, “in form of a whip or rod”

Sisor rheophilus Ng 2003    rheos, flow; philus, to love, referring to its habitat: swift-flowing rivers with sandy bottoms

Sisor torosus Ng 2003    stout, referring to its relatively deep body

Pseudolaguvia Misra 1976    pseudo-, false; i.e., although this genus may superficially resemble several “closely allied” genera, including Laguvia (a junior synonym of Erethistes), such an appearance is false

Pseudolaguvia assula Ng & Conway 2013    splinter, referring to uniform brown coloration, “which imparts the appearance of a small piece of wood to the fish, for which it could be easily mistaken by the untrained eye”

Pseudolaguvia austrina Radhakrishnan, Sureshkumar & Ng 2011    southern, being the southernmost species of the genus on the Indian subcontinent

Pseudolaguvia ferruginea Ng 2009    rusty, referring to reddish-brown color, particularly when alive

Pseudolaguvia ferula Ng 2006    rod, referring to its terete head and body, which makes it considerably narrower than congeners

Pseudolaguvia flavida Ng 2009    golden-yellow, referring to coloration in life

Pseudolaguvia flavipinna Bhakat 2019    flavus, yellow; pinna, fin, referring to yellow tip on dorsal fin

Pseudolaguvia foveolata Ng 2005    pit, referring to large median depression in thoracic adhesive apparatus

Pseudolaguvia fucosa Ng, Lalramliana & Lalronunga 2016    painted or colored, referring to its color pattern, which includes more pale spots and stripes than most congeners

Pseudolaguvia inornata Ng 2005    unadorned, referring to absence of pale markings on sides

Pseudolaguvia jiyaensis Tamang & Sinha 2014    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Jiya stream, near Bolik village, Arunachal Pradesh, India, type locality

Pseudolaguvia kapuri (Tilak & Husain 1975)    in honor of entomologist A. P. Kapur, Director, Zoological Survey of India

Pseudolaguvia lapillicola Britz, Ali & Raghavan 2013    lapillus, pebble; colere, to dwell, referring to the substrate of its habitat, including gravel and rounded stones

Pseudolaguvia magna Tamang & Sinha 2014    great, being the largest known species of the genus (up to 47 mm SL)

Pseudolaguvia meghalayaensis Lokeshwor & Marak 2022    –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Meghalaya, India, where type locality (confluence of Rongkil and Rongdal streams) is situated

Pseudolaguvia muricata Ng 2005    spiny (i.e., as spiny as the shell of a Murex snail), referring to elongate dorsal- and pectoral-fin spines

Pseudolaguvia nepalensis Rayamajhi, Arunachalam & Usharamalakshmi 2016    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Nepal, where it appears to be endemic

Pseudolaguvia nubila Ng, Lalramliana, Lalrongungo & Lalnuntuanga 2013     cloudy, referring to relatively mottled appearance of some individuals

Pseudolaguvia permaris Vijayakrishnan, Praveenraj & Mishra 2023    Latin for “by the sea,” referring to proximity of type locality to the Bay of Bengal (~50 kms)

Pseudolaguvia ribeiroi (Hora 1921)    in honor of entomologist Sydney H. Ribeiro, Zoological Survey of India, who collected type

Pseudolaguvia shawi (Hora 1921)    in honor of government quinologist (one who grows cinchona trees for quinine, an early antimalarial) and naturalist G. E. Shaw, who collected type

Pseudolaguvia spicula Ng & Lalramliana 2010    diminutive of spica, point or spike, referring to relatively short dorsal- and pectoral-fin spines compared to many congeners

Pseudolaguvia tenebricosa Britz & Ferraris 2003    full of darkness or gloom, referring to brown-to-almost-black body color

Pseudolaguvia tuberculata (Prashad & Mukerji 1929)    referring to minute tubercles thickly covering entire body

Pseudolaguvia vespa Praveenraj, Vijayakrishan, Lima & Gurumayum 2021    Latin for wasp, referring to the alternating chrome-yellow and brown stripes on the body, resembling a wasp

Pseudolaguvia virgulata Ng & Lalramliana 2010    striped, referring to narrow, pale longitudinal stripes on flanks, a diagnostic feature

Pseudolaguvia viriosa Ng & Tamang 2012    strong or robust, referring to relatively deep, robust body and long fin spines compared to many congeners

Subfamily GLYPTOSTERNINAE

Barbeuchiloglanis Li, Dao & Zhou 2022    barba-, beard, referring to its longer maxillary and mandibular barbels compared with Chimarrichthys, Creteuchiloglanis and Pareuchiloglanis; Euchiloglanis (=Chimarrichthys), a generic name used for a group of Glyptosterninae

Barbeuchiloglanis feae (Vinciguerra 1890)    in honor of explorer and zoologist Leonardo Fea (1852-1903), who collected type

Chimarrichthys Sauvage 1874    chimarros, torrent, referring to occurrence in a swift-flowing (perhaps intermittent) stream in eastern Tibet; ichthys, fish [genus often given as Euchiloglanis Regan 1907, an unneeded replacement name for Chimarrichthys, not preoccupied by Cheimarrichthys Haast 1874 in fishes]

Chimarrichthys davidi Sauvage 1874    in honor of Armand David (1826-1900), Lazarist missionary Catholic priest and biologist, who collected many specimens in China, including type of this one

Chimarrichthys kishinouyei (Kimura 1934)    in honor of the late Kamakichi Kishinouye (1867-1929), fisheries biologist, Tokyo Imperial University, who led party that collected type (and died of a sudden illness shortly after its capture)

Chimarrichthys longibarbatus (Zhou, Li & Thomson 2011)    longus, long; barbatus, barbeled, referring to long maxillary barbel, with tip reaching beyond gill opening

Chimarrichthys longus (Zhou, Li & Thomson 2011)    long, referring to long body and long caudal peduncle

Chimarrichthys nami (Tran, Nguyen, Dang, Nguyen & Nguyen 2023)    in honor of the “young ichthyologist and our best friend” Chu Hoang Nam

Creteuchiloglanis Zhou, Li & Thomson 2011    cret-, to separate or distinguish, referring to features shared with, as well as distinguished from, Euchiloglanis and Pareuchiloglanis

Creteuchiloglanis arunachalensis Sinha & Tamang 2014    ensis, suffix denoting place: Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern India, where it appears to be endemic

Creteuchiloglanis brachypterus Zhou, Li & Thomson 2011    brachy, short; pterus, fin, referring to shorter pectoral, pelvic and caudal fins compared to congeners

Creteuchiloglanis bumdelingensis Thoni & Gurung 2018    ensis, suffix denoting place: Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhutan, type locality

Creteuchiloglanis gongshanensis (Chu 1981)    ensis, suffix denoting place: Gongshan County, Yunnan Province, China, type locality

Creteuchiloglanis kamengensis (Jayaram 1966)    ensis, suffix denoting place: Kameng Frontier Division, Arunachal Pradesh, India, type locality (also occurs in Yunnan Province, China)

Creteuchiloglanis longipectoralis Zhou, Li & Thomson 2011    longus, long; pectoralis, of the breast, referring to long pectoral fin, which extends beyond pelvic-fin origin

Creteuchiloglanis macropterus (Ng 2004)    macro-, large; pterus, fin, referring to long base of adipose fin

Creteuchiloglanis payjab Darshan, Dutta, Kachari, Gogoi, Aran & Das 2014    local name for this fish in Memba, a colloquial speech of native ethnic group where it occurs

Creteuchiloglanis tawangensis Darshan, Abujam, Wangchu, Kumar, Das & Imotomba 2019    ensis, suffix denoting place: Tawang District, Arunachal Pradah, India, where type locality (Tawangchu River) is situated

Exostoma Blyth 1860    ex– outside; stoma, mouth, presumably referring to lips “reflected and spread continuously round the mouth, so as to form a broad flat sucker”

Exostoma barakense Vishwanath & Joyshree 2007    ensis, suffix denoting place: Barak River drainage, Manipur, India, where it is endemic

Exostoma berdmorei Blyth 1860    in honor of the late Major Hugh Thomas Berdmore (1811-1859), Madras Artillery, Assistant to the Commissioner and in charge of the forests’ office, who collected or provided type

Exostoma chaudhurii (Hora 1923)    in honor of B. L. Chaudhuri (d. 1931), Assistant Superintendent, Indian Museum, who reported this catfish as E. vinciguerrae in 1919

Exostoma dhritiae Singh, Kosygin, Gurumayum & Rath 2022    in honor of entomologist Dhriti Banerjee (b. 1970), Director of the Zoological Survey of India (the first female director of the Survey, founded in 1916), for her contribution to knowledge of the fauna of India

Exostoma dujangense Shangningam & Kosygin 2020    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Dujang stream at Dutuwl, draining to the Chakpi River, Chandel District, Manipur, India, type locality [originally spelled dujangensis; since Exostoma is neuter, spelling has been emended] 

Exostoma dulongense Luo & Chen 2020    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Dulongjiang River, upper Irrawaddy basin, Yunnan, China, type locality [originally spelled dulongensis; since Exostoma is neuter, spelling has been emended]

Exostoma effrenum Ng & Vidthayanon 2014    unbridled, referring to adipose fin being distinctly separate from upper principal caudal-fin rays

Exostoma ericinum Ng 2018    of a hedgehog, referring to strongly tuberculate head, predorsal region and pectoral fins, imparting a spiky appearance

Exostoma gaoligongense Chen, Poly, Catania & Jiang 2017    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Gaoligong Mountain, where type locality (Baihualing Village, Mangkuang Township, Baoshan City, Yunnan Province, China) is situated

Exostoma kottelati Darshan, Vishwanath, Abujam & Das 2019    in honor of Swiss ichthyologist Maurice Kottelat (b. 1957), for his “outstanding” contribution to Asian freshwater ichthyology

Exostoma labiatum (McClelland 1842)    lipped, referring to multilobate lips, “reflected and spread continuously around the mouth, so as to form a broad flat sucker”

Exostoma laticaudatum Arunkumar 2020    latius, broad; caudatus, tailed, referring to short and deep caudal peduncle [originally spelled laticaudata but since Exostoma is neuter, adjective should be laticaudatum]

Exostoma mangdechhuense Thoni & Gurung 2018    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Mangdechhu River, Bhutan, type locality [originally spelled mangdechhuensis; since Exostoma is neuter, spelling has been emended]

Exostoma peregrinator Ng & Vidthayanon 2014    one who travels about, referring to its distribution, which represents first record of genus east of Salween River drainage (Thailand)

Exostoma sawmteai Lalramliana, Lalronunga, Lalnuntluanga & Ng 2015    in honor of Sawmtea (Vanalalmalsawma), field assistant to Lalramliana, who assisted in collecting specimens

Exostoma sectile Ng & Kottelat 2018    cut or cleft, referring to distinct incision or notch at extremity of adipose-fin base

Exostoma stuarti (Hora 1923)    in honor of geologist Murray Stuart, Geological Survey of India, who collected type

Exostoma tenuicaudatum Tamang, Sinha & Gurumayum 2015    tenuis, slender; caudata, tailed, referring to its slender caudal peduncle [originally spelled tenuicaudata, but since Exostoma is neuter, adjective should be tenuicaudatum]

Exostoma tibetanum Gong, Lin, Liu & Liu 2018    anum, beloning to: Tibet, where it is endemic [originally spelled tibetana, but since Exostoma is neuter, adjective should be tibetanum]

Exostoma vinciguerrae Regan 1905    in honor of physician-ichthyologist Decio Vinciguerra (1856-1934), who recognized this species as a unique form of E. labiatum in 1890 but did not name it [although named after a man, some classically trained zoologists latinized the names of individuals whose names ended with the letter “a” by adding an “e” to the spelling]

Glaridoglanis Norman 1925    glaridos, chisel, presumably referring to truncate or notched teeth; glanis, sheatfish (Silurus glanis), now used as a general term for catfish

Glaridoglanis andersonii (Day 1870    )in honor of John Anderson (1833-1900), Scottish zoologist and anatomist, who “presented” type to the Calcutta Museum

Glaridoglanis ramosa Ng & Kottelat 2022    Latin for having many branches, referring to higher number of branched pectoral-fin rays compared with G. andersonii

Glyptosternon McClelland 1842    glyptos, engraved; sternon, chest or breast, allusion not explained, probably referring to transverse striations on pectoral and ventral fins (not mentioned in description) that form an adhesive surface

Glyptosternon akhtari Silas 1952    in honor of botanist Kazmi Sayed Ali Akhtar (1899-?), University of Kabul, for the Afghan fishes he collected for Hora “from time to time”

Glyptosternon maculatum (Regan 1905)    spotted, referring to numerous irregular dark spots on olivaceous body

Glyptosternon oschanini (Herzenstein 1889)    in honor of Russian entomologist Vasili Fedorovich Oschanin, who collected part of type series and provided notes of its behavior in the aquarium (it jumped out twice)

Glyptosternon reticulatum McClelland 1842    netlike or netted, allusion not explained, probably referring to color pattern (not mentioned in description)

Myersglanis Hora & Silas 1952    Myers, named for Stanford University ichthyologist George S. Myers (1905-1985), who examined the nomenclatural position of Glyptothorax and Glyptosternum in 1931; glanis, sheatfish (Silurus glanis), now used as a general term for catfish

Myersglanis blythii (Day 1870)    patronym not identified but clearly in honor of Edward Blyth (1810-1873), curator, Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, who described several sisorid taxa

Myersglanis jayarami Vishwanath & Kosygin 1999    in honor of ichthyologist Kottore Chidambaram Jayaram (1926-2011), Zoological Survey of India, who encouraged the authors in this work and provided relevant literature

Oreoglanis Smith 1933    oreo-, mountain, referring to cold-stream habitat of O. siamenis on the “highest mountain of Siam”; glanis, sheatfish (Silurus glanis), now used as a general term for catfish, literally “mountain catfish”

Oreoglanis colurus Vidthayanon, Saenjundaeng & Ng 2009    Greek for bob- or stump-tailed (adjective but apparently treated as a noun), referring to short caudal peduncle

Oreoglanis delacouri (Pellegrin 1936)    in honor of French-American ornithologist Jean Theodore Delacour (1890-1985), who collected type

Oreoglanis frenata Ng & Rainboth 2001    bridled or restrained, referring to confluent (or “restrained”) adipose and caudal fins

Oreoglanis heteropogon Vidthayanon, Saenjundaeng & Ng 2009    heteros, different; pogon, beard, being the only known congener from the Salween River drainage bearing a maxillary barbel with a pointed tip

Oreoglanis hponkanensis Chen, Qin & Chen 2017    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Hponkanrazi Wildlife Sanctuary, Kachin state, Myanmar, type locality

Oreoglanis hypsiura Ng & Kottelat 1999    hypsos, high; oura, tailed, referring to relatively deeper caudal peduncle compared to O. delacouri

Oreoglanis immaculata Kong, Chen & Yang 2007    im– not; maculatus, spotted, referring to absence of light-yellow patches below adipose fin (an otherwise common feature in the genus)

Oreoglanis infulata Ng & Freyhof 2001    banded, referring to dark band on anal fin

Oreoglanis insignis Ng & Rainboth 2001    marked, referring to numerous pale-colored patches on body

Oreoglanis jingdongensis Kong, Chen & Yang 2007    ensis, suffix denoting place: Jingdong Country, Yunnan Province, China, type locality

Oreoglanis laciniosa Vidthayanon, Saenjundaeng & Ng 2009    cut according to a pattern, i.e., indented, referring to lobulate posterior margin of lower lip

Oreoglanis lepturus Ng & Rainboth 2001    leptos, slender; oura, tail, referring to relatively long and slender caudal peduncle

Oreoglanis macronemus Ng 2004    macro– long; nemus, thread, referring to long nasal barbels

Oreoglanis macroptera (Vinciguerra 1890)    macro-, large; ptera, fin, referring to large pectoral fins, which extend far beyond belly and dorsal-fin base

Oreoglanis majusculus Linthoingambi & Vishwanath 2011    Latin for somewhat greater, referring to its large paired fins

Oreoglanis nakasathiani Vidthayanon, Saenjundaeng & Ng 2009    in honor of the late Seub Nakasathian (1949-1990), wildlife biologist who devoted his life to research and awareness leading to the conservation and management of the Western Forest Complex in Thailand

Oreoglanis omkoiensis Suvarnaraksha 2020    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Omkoi Subdistrict, Omkoi District, Chiangmai Province, Thailand, where type locality (a highland stream) is situated [originally spelled omkoiense; since Oreoglanis is feminine, spelling has been emended]

Oreoglanis pangenensis Sinha & Tamang 2015    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Pange River, Arunachal Pradesh, India, type locality

Oreoglanis setigera Ng & Rainboth 2001    bristly, referring to laciniate posterior margin of maxillary barbels

Oreoglanis siamensis Smith 1933    ensis, suffix denoting place: Siam, or Thailand, where it is endemic

Oreoglanis sudarai Vidthayanon, Saenjundaeng & Ng 2009    in honor of the late Surapol Sudara (d. 2003), marine biologist, who was prominent in raising awareness of the conservation of aquatic environments in Thailand

Oreoglanis suraswadii Vidthayanon, Saenjundaeng & Ng 2009    in honor of Plodprasop Suraswadi, former Director General of the Department of Fisheries, Thailand, who initiated the fisheries development and conservation program at the type locality (Doi Tung Royal Project Area, Chiang Rai province)

Oreoglanis tenuicauda Vidthayanon, Saenjundaeng & Ng 2009    tenuis, slender; cauda, tail, referring to more slender appearance of caudal peduncle compared to congeners in the Nan River drainage of Thailand

Oreoglanis vicina Vidthayanon, Saenjundaeng & Ng 2009    neighboring, referring to close proximity of distribution it shares with O. colurus and O. tenuicauda

Parachiloglanis Wu, He & Chu 1981    para-, near; chiloglanis, perhaps an abridgement of Euchiloglanis (=Chimarrichthys), in which type species had been placed (name could also refer to similar mouth/lip structure with the African mochokid genus Chiloglanis)

Parachiloglanis benjii Thoni & Gurung 2018    in honor of Dasho Paljor Jigme Dorji, “fondly known” in Bhutan as Dasho Benji, environmentalist, judge and diplomat, a “long-standing advocate for the protection of nature” in Bhutan (where this catfish is endemic)

Parachiloglanis bhutanensis Thoni & Gurung 2014    ensis, suffix denoting place: Bhutan, the first fish species scientifically described from within that country

Parachiloglanis dangmechhuensis Thoni & Gurung 2018     ensis, suffix denoting place: Dangmechhu River, Bhutan, type locality

Parachiloglanis drukyulensis Thoni & Gurung 2018    ensis, suffix denoting place: Drukyul, “the land of the Thunder Dragon,” official (non-English) name of Bhutan (where this catfish is endemic), celebrating the country’s “commitment to conservation, sustainable development, and the preservation of nature”; this species “exhibits the beauty and wonder of its country, and its discovery, amongst other species, is a beacon of the scientific progress that has taken place as a result of this commitment”

Parachiloglanis hodgarti (Hora 1923)    patronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of Richard Arthur Hodgart (1883-?), Zoological Collector, Zoological Survey of India

Pareuchiloglanis Pellegrin 1936    para-, near, referring to similarity to Euchiloglanis (=Chimmarichthys)

Pareuchiloglanis dorsoarcus (Nguyen 2005)    dorso-, back; arcus, arch, referring to curved dorsal profile [species inquirenda, provisionally included here]

Pareuchiloglanis namdeensis Nguyen 2005    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Nâm Dê (creek), Da River system, Phong Thô, Lai Châu, Vietnam, where it appears to be endemic [species inquirenda, provisionally included here]

Pareuchiloglanis phongthoensis (Nguyen 2005)    ensis, suffix denoting place: Phong Thô, Lai Châu, Viêt Nam, type locality [species inquirenda, provisionally included here]

Pareuchiloglanis poilanei Pellegrin 1936    in honor of botanist Eugene Polaine (1887-1964), Paris Herbarium, who collected type

Pareuchiloglanis songdaensis Nguyen & Nguyen 2001    ensis, suffix denoting place: Song Da (Da River), Muong Te District, Lai Chau Province, Vietnam, type locality [species inquirenda, provisionally included here]

Pareuchiloglanis tamduongensis Nguyen 2005    ensis, suffix denoting place: Tam Duong, Phong Thô, Lai Châu, Viêt Nam, type locality [species inquirenda, provisionally included here]

Pseudecheneis Blyth 1860    pseudo-, false; echeneis, remora, referring to oval disk on breast between pectoral fins, similar to the transverse plates found on the marine remora (or sharksucker), thus making it a “false remora”

Pseudecheneis brachyura Zhou, Li & Yang 2008    brachys, short; oura, tailed, i.e., “bobtail,” according to authors, referring to “dumpier” caudal peduncle compared to P. gracilis and P. stenura, which occur in the same river system

Pseudecheneis crassicauda Ng & Edds 2005    crassus, thick; cauda, tail, referring to its deep caudal peduncle

Pseudecheneis eddsi Ng 2006    in honor of ichthyologist and aquatic ecologist David Edds (b. 1954), Emporia State University (Kansas, USA), for collecting part of the type series and for his work on Nepalese fishes

Pseudecheneis gracilis Zhou, Li & Yang 2008    slender, referring to “elongate and tenuous” body

Pseudecheneis immaculata Chu 1982    im-, not; maculosus, spotted, referring to lack of spots or patches on body

Pseudecheneis koladynae Anganthoibi & Vishwanath 2010    of the Koladyne River, Mizoram State, India, type locality

Pseudecheneis longipectoralis Zhou, Li & Yang 2008    longus, long, referring to longer pectoral fin (reaching pelvic-fin base) compared to P. sulcata and P. crassicauda

Pseudecheneis maurus Ng & Tan 2007    dark, referring to absence of distinct pale spots on body

Pseudecheneis nagalandensis Shangningam & Kosygin 2020    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Nagaland, India, where type locality (Tizu River at Sohomi, Chindwin River basin) is situated

Pseudecheneis paucipunctata Zhou, Li & Yang 2008    paucus, few; punctata, spotted, referring to yellow spots and patches on some parts of the body but not others (occipital and posttemporal)

Pseudecheneis paviei Vaillant 1892    in honor of Auguste Jean-Marie Pavie (1847-1925), French colonial civil servant and diplomat, who collected type

Pseudecheneis serracula Ng & Edds 2005 rudder, referring to its large adipose fin

Pseudecheneis sirenica Vishwanath & Darshan 2007    ica, belonging to: Siren River, Brahmaputra basin, India, type locality

Pseudecheneis stenura Ng 2006    stenos, narrow; oura, tailed, referring to its extremely narrow caudal peduncle

Pseudecheneis sulcatoides Zhou & Chu 1992    oides, having the form of: referring to resemblance to (and previous misidentification as) P. sulcata

Pseudecheneis sulcata (McClelland 1842)    furrowed or grooved, probably referring to oval adhesive disk on breast, “composed of transverse plates”

Pseudecheneis suppaetula Ng 2006    squinting somewhat, referring to its small eye (8.1-8.3% SL)

Pseudecheneis sympelvica Roberts 1998    sym-, together or joined; pelvica, referring to pelvic fins united medially for their entire length, except for a small notch distally (vs. widely separated to base in congeners)

Pseudecheneis tchangi (Hora 1937)    in honor of ichthyologist Tchunlin (or Tchung-Lin) Tchang (1897-1963), Fan Memorial Institute of Biology, who discovered and illustrated this species in 1936 but reported it as P. sulcata

Pseudecheneis ukhrulensis Vishwanath & Darshan 2007    ensis, suffix denoting place: Ukhrul District, Manipur, India, where it is distributed

Pseudexostoma Chu 1979    pseudo-, false, allusion not explained, possibly referring to occasional placement of P. yunnanense in Exostoma

Pseudexostoma brachysoma Chu 1979    brachys, short; soma, body, referring to shorter body compared to P. yunnanense

Pseudexostoma yunnanense (Tchang 1935)    ensis, suffix denoting place: Yunnan Province, China, where it is endemic to the Irrawaddy River drainage

Sineuchiloglanis Li, Dao & Zhou 2022  Sin-, from Sinica (China), referring to most of the species occurring in China; Euchiloglanis (=Chimarrichthys), a generic name used for a group of Glyptosterninae

Sineuchiloglanis anteanalis (Fang, Xu & Cui 1984)    ante-, before; analis, anal fin, referring to anterior placement of anal fin, beginning closer to ventral-fin origin than to caudal-fin base

Sineuchiloglanis chui (Li, Dao & Zhou 2020)    in honor of ichthyologist Chu Xin-Luo, for his “great” contribution to the taxonomy of the Sisoridae

Sineuchiloglanis gracilicaudata (Wu & Chen 1979)    gracilis, slender; caudata, tailed, “quite easily distinguished from other fishes of Euchiloglanis [original genus] by its slender caudal peduncle, its length being more than 5 times its depth”

Sineuchiloglanis hupingshanensis (Kang, Chen & He 2016)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Hunan Hupingshan National Nature Reserve, Shimen County, Hunan Province, China, type locality

Sineuchiloglanis myzostoma (Norman 1923)    myzo, sucker; stoma, mouth, presumably referring to thick, fleshy, papillated lips (which, despite the name, do not help the fish cling to rocks in swift water)

Sineuchiloglanis nebulifera (Ng & Kottelat 2000)    nebula, cloud; fero, to bear, referring to cream patches on dorsal surface

Sineuchiloglanis prolixdorsalis (Li, Zhou, Thomson, Zhang & Yang 2007)    prolixus, extended; dorsalis, dorsal, referring to longer distance from end of dorsal-fin base to origin of adipose fin, distinguished from Tremeuchiloglanis abbreviata in the same river system

Sineuchiloglanis robusta (Ding, Fu & Ye 1991)    full-bodied or stout, presumably referring to its “elongate, stout” (translation) body shape

Sineuchiloglanis sichuanensis (Ding, Fu & Ye 1991)    ensis, suffix denoting place: Sichuan Province, China, where it is endemic to the Yangtze River basin

Tremeuchiloglanis Li, Dao & Zhou 2022    trema, opening, referring to larger gill opening compared with Chimarrichthys, Creteuchiloglanis and Pareuchiloglanis; Euchiloglanis (=Chimarrichthys), a generic name used for a group of Glyptosterninae

Tremeuchiloglanis abbreviata (Li, Zhou, Thomson, Zhang & Yang 2007)    shortened, referring to shorter abdominal region compared to congeners

Tremeuchiloglanis arcuata (Dao, Li, Yang & Zhou 2020)    bow-shaped, referring to shape of body as seen from the side

Tremeuchiloglanis longicauda (Yue 1981)    longus, long; cauda, tail, referring to longer caudal peduncle compared with T. macronema and T. sinensis

Tremeuchiloglanis macrotrema (Norman 1925)    macro-, long; trema, hole, referring to larger gill opening compared with Barbeuchiloglanis feae, its presumed congener at the time

Tremeuchiloglanis posteranalis (Dao, Li, Yang & Zhou 2020)    poster-, posterior; analis, anal, referring to anal-fin origin near caudal-fin base

Tremeuchiloglanis rhabdura (Ng 2004)    rhabdos, rod; oura, tailed, referring to slender caudal peduncle

Tremeuchiloglanis salicesbarba (Dao, Li, Yang & Zhou 2020)    salices, meaning Salix, a genus of plant; barba, barbel, referring to maxillary barbels resembling the tip of a Salix leaf

Tremeuchiloglanis sinensis (Hora & Silas 1952)    ensis, suffix denoting place: Sinica (China), where it is endemic to the Yangtze River basin of Yunnan Province


Family AMPHILIIDAE Loach Catfishes
13 genera · 104 species

Subfamily AMPHILIINAE

Amphilius Günther 1864    etymology not explained, perhaps amphi-, around or on both sides, and leios, smooth, referring to naked, soft-skinned (e.g., scaleless) body and absence of fin spines, therefore “smooth around the body” (Paul Skelton, pers. comm.); Tyson R. Roberts (2003) appears to believe the name means ammos, sand and philos, to love (see Dolichoamphilius, below), referring to sandy habitat and/or sand-diving behavior of some species, which, in our opinion, likely was not known in 1864

Amphilius atesuensis Boulenger 1904    ensis, suffix denoting place: Atesu River, Ghana, type locality (also occurs in Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Ivory Coast)

Amphilius athiensis Thomson & Page 2010    ensis, suffix denoting place: Athi River system, Kenya, where it appears to be endemic

Amphilius brevis Boulenger 1902    short, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to short length (described at 48 mm) compared to most congeners

Amphilius caudosignatus Skelton 2007    caudo– tail; signatus, marked (“striking,” according to Skelton), referring to distinctive color pattern on tail

Amphilius chalei Seegers 2008    in honor of Francis M. M. Chale (b. 1947), fish ecologist specializing in Tanzanian fishes, who for many years assisted Seegers in the exportation of live and preserved fishes from Tanzania; he was also involved in the collection of this species

Amphilius crassus Thomson & Hilbner 2015    fat or stout, referring to its deep, stout body

Amphilius cryptobullatus Skelton 1986    cryptos, hidden; bullatus, bubbled, referring to “prominent but externally unevident large cup-like swimbladder encapsulations”

Amphilius dimonikensis Skelton 2007    ensis, suffix denoting place: Dimonika Biosphere Reserve, Mayombe, Republic of Congo, where it is likely to be endemic

Amphilius engelbrechti Mazungula & Chakona 2021    in honor of the late Johan Engelbrecht, for his “great” contribution to ichthyological research and conservation of freshwater fishes in the Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces of South Africa

Amphilius frieli Thomson & Page 2015    in honor of John P. Friel, Cornell University, for his “excellent” contributions to the study of African fishes

Amphilius grandis Boulenger 1905    large; at 180 mm, the largest Amphilius yet described

Amphilius jacksonii Boulenger 1912    in honor of Frederick John Jackson (1859-1929), Deputy Commissioner and Consul for the Uganda Protectorate, who collected type

Amphilius kakrimensis Teugels, Skelton & Lévêque 1987    ensis, suffix denoting place: Kakrima River drainage, Guinea, where it appears to be endemic

Amphilius kivuensis Pellegrin 1933    ensis, suffix denoting place: region of Kivu (west of Lake Kivu), Democratic Republic of the Congo, type locality

Amphilius korupi Skelton 2007    of Korup National Park, Cameroon, where it occurs

Amphilius krefftii Boulenger 1911    in honor of herpetologist Paul Krefft (1872-1945), who collected type

Amphilius lamani Lönnberg & Rendahl 1920    in honor of Swedish missionary and ethnographer Karl Edvard Laman (1867-1944), who sent a small collection of fishes from the lower Congo to the Riksmuseet Natural History Museum in Stockholm, including type of this one

Amphilius lampei Pietschmann 1913    in honor of Eduard Lampe (1871-1919), collections manager, fishes, Naturhistorischen Museum der Stadt Wiesbaden

Amphilius laticaudatus Skelton 1984    latus, broad; caudatus, tailed, referring to short and deep caudal peduncle

Amphilius lentiginosus Trewavas 1936    freckled, referring to small dark spots everywhere except throat, belly and undersides of pectoral and pelvic fins

Amphilius leopardus Mazungula & Chakona 2021    referring to conspicuous leopard-like color pattern

Amphilius longirostris (Boulenger 1901)    longus, long; rostris, snout, which projects a little beyond lower jaw

Amphilius lujani Thomson & Page 2015    in honor of ichthyologist Nathan K. Lujan (b. 1976), who collected holotype and most of the paratypes, and who has made “excellent” contributions to our knowledge of freshwater fishes

Amphilius maesii Boulenger 1919    in honor of Belgian ethnographer Joseph Maes (1882-1960), who collected type (and that of A. opisthophthalmus)

Amphilius mamonekenensis Skelton 2007    ensis, a suffix usually denoting place but here used for a patronym: in honor of Victor Mamonekene (b. 1959), Université Marien Ngouabi, who helped collect type, for contributions to “understanding the fishes of the Republic of Congo in recent times”

Amphilius marshalli Mazungula & Chakona 2021    in honor of Brian Marshall, University of Zimbabwe, for his “outstanding” contribution to the fields of aquatic biodiversity and freshwater ecology in southern Africa, in particular the building of ichthyological capacity through training of several currently practicing researchers in the region, including the second author

Amphilius natalensis Boulenger 1917    ensis, suffix denoting place: Natal, South Africa, type locality

Amphilius nigricaudatus Pellegrin 1909    niger, black; caudatus, tailed, referring to large central black spot on caudal fin

Amphilius opisthophthalmus Boulenger 1919    opistho-, behind; ophthalmus, eye, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to placement of eyes on back half of head

Amphilius pagei Thomson & Swartz 2018    in honor of Lawrence (Larry) M. Page (b. 1944), Curator of Fishes, Florida Museum of Natural History, for his “excellent” contributions to the study of freshwater fishes

Amphilius pedunculus Thomson & Page 2015    diminutive of pez, foot, or peduncle, referring to distinctively short and deep caudal peduncle

Amphilius platychir (Günther 1864)    platy, flat or broad; cheiros, hand, referring to broad, fan-like pectoral-fin rays

Amphilius pulcher Pellegrin 1929    beautiful, referring to its attractive coloration (e.g., brown body with five large yellow spots on back and yellowish fins)

Amphilius rheophilus Daget 1959    rheos, stream; philos, loving, referring to occurrence in fast-flowing upper tributaries of rivers and streams

Amphilius ruziziensis Thomson & Page 2015    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Ruzizi River drainage in eastern Rwanda and Burundi, type locality and where it is primarily distributed

Amphilius uranoscopus (Pfeffer 1889)    uranos, sky; scopus, watcher, referring to dorsally set eyes

Amphilius zairensis Skelton 1986    ensis, suffix denoting place: Zaire (now Congo) River, Democratic Republic of the Congo, type locality

Amphilius zuluorum Mazungula & Chakona 2021    –orum, commemorative suffix, plural: in honor of the Zulu people, dominant ethnic group in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa, where this catfish is endemic

Paramphilius Pellegrin 1907    para-, near, i.e., its shape “not far removed” from Amphilius (translation)

Paramphilius baudoni (Pellegrin 1928)    in honor of French colonial administrator Alfred Baudon (1875-1932), who collected type

Paramphilius firestonei Schultz 1942    in honor of the Smithsonian-Firestone Expedition to Liberia, by which collection of type was made possible

Paramphilius goodi Harry 1953    in honor of missionary Albert Irwin Good (1884-1975), who provided “excellent collections” of Cameroonian fishes to Stanford University, including type of this one [author later known as Rofen]

Paramphilius teugelsi Skelton 1989    in honor of Guy Teugels (1954-2003), curator of fishes at the Musée Royale de l’Afrique Centrale, for contributions to the knowledge of west-African freshwater fishes

Paramphilius trichomycteroides Pellegrin 1907    oides, having the form of: resembling the South American catfish genus Trichomycterus (Trichomycteridae)

Subfamily LEPTOGLANIDINAE Sand Catlets

Dolichamphilius Roberts 2003    dolichos, long or elongate, referring to “extremely” elongate body and caudal peduncle; ammos, sand and philos, to love, referring to sandy habitat and sand-burrowing fright response of many leptoglanins (apparently does not refer to Amphilius, type genus of family, as specified for Tetracamphilius, below)

Dolichamphilius brieni (Poll 1959)    in honor of friend and zoological colleague Paul Brien (1894-1975), Université libre de Bruxelles (Belgium), a member of expedition that collected type (see Belonoglanis brieni, below)

Dolichamphilius longiceps Roberts 2003    longus, long; ceps, head, allusion not explained, probably referring to longer head compared to D. brieni

Leptoglanis Boulenger 1902    leptos, slender, referring to thin and elongate body of L. xenognathus; glanis, sheatfish (Silurus glanis), now used as a general term for catfish

Leptoglanis bouilloni Poll 1959    in honor of zoologist Jean Bouillon (1926-2009), l’Université Libre de Bruxelles, a “particularly active” (translation) member of expedition that collected type [not an amphiliid; may warrant a new genus in Bagridae or Claroteidae]

Leptoglanis xenognathus Boulenger 1902    xeno-, different; gnathus, jaw, referring to thin and elongate maxillary, movable, connected to head by a membranous fold

Psammphiletria Roberts 2003    psammo-, sand; philetria, lover of, referring to sandy habitat and/or presumed sand-diving behavior (a fright response)

Psammphiletria delicata Roberts 2003    dainty or delicate, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to small size (20.5 mm) and/or poor condition of preserved material

Psammphiletria nasuta Roberts 2003    large-nosed, referring to “very large” rhinal lobe

Tetracamphilius Roberts 2003    tetra, four and akis, point, referring to up to four cusps on tiny fan-shaped jaw teeth; Amphilius, type genus of family (not referring to sand-dwelling behavior as specified for Dolichamphilius, above)

Tetracamphilius angustifrons (Boulenger 1902)    angustus, narrow; frons, front, face or brow, referring to thin head, 1½ times as long as broad

Tetracamphilius clandestinus Roberts 2003    secret or hidden, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its identity being hidden next to the morphologically similar and sympatric T. angustifrons

Tetracamphilius notatus (Nichols & Griscom 1917)    marked, referring to three large black blotches (just behind gill cover, under dorsal fin, and at caudal peduncle), plus two smaller spots on back

Tetracamphilius pectinatus Roberts 2003    comb-like, referring to small serrations on pectoral fin

Zaireichthys Roberts 1968    Zaire, African name for the Congo River, referring to distribution of Z. zonatus; ichthys, fish

Zaireichthys brevis (Boulenger 1915)    short, described at just 34 mm TL

Zaireichthys camerunensis (Daget & Stauch 1963)    ensis, suffix denoting place: Cameroon, type locality (may also occur in Guinea)

Zaireichthys compactus Seegers 2008    compact, described as a “small, compact species,” up to 32.6 mm TL

Zaireichthys conspicuus Eccles, Tweddle & Skelton 2011    referring to its “conspicuous bold markings”

Zaireichthys dorae (Poll 1967)    in honor of Dora Machado, who collected type; she was wife of zoologist António de Barros Machado (1912-2002), Musée de Dundo (Angola)

Zaireichthys flavomaculatus (Pellegrin 1926)    flavus, yellow; maculatus, spotted, referring to yellowish base color with large spots that connect to form a marbled pattern

Zaireichthys heterurus Roberts 2003    heteros, different; oura, tail, differing from all other amphiliids in having 7+5 principal caudal-fin rays

Zaireichthys kafuensis Eccles, Tweddle & Skelton 2011    ensis, suffix denoting place: Kafu River drainage, Zambia, where it appears to be endemic

Zaireichthys kavangoensis Eccles, Tweddle & Skelton 2011    ensis, suffix denoting place: Kavango River, Namibia, type locality

Zaireichthys kunenensis Eccles, Tweddle & Skelton 2011    ensis, suffix denoting place: Kunene River system, Angola-Namibia border, where it appears to be endemic

Zaireichthys lacustris Eccles, Tweddle & Skelton 2011    lacustrine, first species in genus known from a lake (Lake Malawi)

Zaireichthys mandevillei (Poll 1959)    in honor of J. Th. Mandeville, fisheries agent, government of Leopoldville (now Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo), who collected some of the paratypes

Zaireichthys maravensis Eccles, Tweddle & Skelton 2011    ensis, suffix denoting place: Lake Malawi (a name derived from the 16th-century Maravi Kingdom), only known area of occurrence (may also occur in rivers flowing into the lake)

Zaireichthys monomotapa Eccles, Tweddle & Skelton 2011    named after the historical Kingdom of Monomotapa, an area currently occupied by Mozambique and Zimbabwe and thus almost all of the distribution of this species

Zaireichthys pallidus Eccles, Tweddle & Skelton 2011    pallid, referring to its very pale coloration

Zaireichthys rotundiceps (Hilgendorf 1905)    rotundus, rounded; ceps, head, referring to semi-circular shape of head when seen from above

Zaireichthys wamiensis (Seegers 1989)    ensis, suffix denoting place: Wami River drainage, Tanzania, where it is endemic

Zaireichthys zonatus Roberts 1968    banded, referring to four broad, incomplete vertical bands on lateral surface of body (also a thin elliptical band on caudal fin)

Subfamily DOUMEINAE

Andersonia Boulenger 1900    ia, belonging to John Anderson (1833-1900), Scottish zoologist and anatomist, “to whose exertions during the latter years of his life Science is indebted for much progress in the zoology of the Nile region, and to whose initiative we owe the organization of a survey of the Nile Fishes which is now being carried on by the Egyptian Government”

Andersonia leptura Boulenger 1900    leptos, thin; oura, tail, referring to extremely slender caudal peduncle

Belonoglanis Boulenger 1902    belone, Greek for needle, referring to elongate body with extremely thin caudal peduncle; glanis, sheatfish (Silurus glanis), now used as a general term for catfish

Belonoglanis brieni Poll 1959    in honor of friend and zoological colleague Paul Brien (1894-1975), Université libre de Bruxelles (Belgium), a member of expedition that collected type, and who was the first to observe the behavior of this genus in the wild (aligning their bodies along the stems of riparian grasses, feeding on epiphytic microorganisms)

Belonoglanis tenuis Boulenger 1902    thin, referring to very thin and depressed caudal peduncle

Congoglanis Ferraris, Vari & Skelton 2011    Congo, referring to distribution of all species in the Congo River basin; glanis, sheatfish (Silurus glanis), now used as a general term for catfish

Congoglanis alula (Nichols & Griscom 1917)    winglet, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to flattened and expanded wing-like fins, an adaptation to fast water

Congoglanis howesi Vari, Ferraris & Skelton 2012    in honor of Gordon J. Howes (1938-2013), Natural History Museum (London), for his many contributions to ichthyology

Congoglanis inga Ferraris, Vari & Skelton 2011    named for the Inga Rapids, near type locality in the lower Congo River, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Congoglanis sagitta Ferraris, Vari & Skelton 2011    arrow, referring to slender, streamlined shape relative to that of its congeners

Doumea Sauvage 1879    ea, adjectival suffix: Doumé, Gabon, type locality of D. typica

Doumea angolensis Boulenger 1906    ensis, suffix denoting place: Angola, where it is endemic

Doumea chappuisi Pellegrin 1933    in honor of French-born Swiss zoologist and biospeleologist Pierre-Alfred Chappuis (1891-1960), who collected type

Doumea gracila Skelton 2007    slender or graceful, referring to slender body, strongly tapering to caudal base

Doumea reidi Ferraris, Skelton & Vari 2010    in honor of Gordon McGregor Reid (b. 1948), North of England Zoological Society, who collected type and has “dedicated a large portion of his career helping to protect, and improve our understanding of, wildlife and freshwater fishes worldwide”

Doumea sanaga Skelton 2007    named for the Sanaga River, Cameroon, where it occurs

Doumea skeltoni Ferraris & Vari 2014    in honor of Paul H. Skelton (b. 1948), Director Emeritus of the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, with whom the authors have collaborated on several publications on the taxonomy of doumein catfishes; as a long-time student of the taxonomy and biology of the Amphiliidae, it is “only fitting to further link his name with this fascinating group of fishes by naming this species after him”

Doumea stilicauda Ferraris, Skelton & Vari 2010    stilus, stake; cauda, tail, referring to stake-like caudal peduncle

Doumea thysi Skelton 1989    in honor of ichthyologist Dirk Thys van den Audenaerde (b. 1934), Director at the Musée Royal de l’Afrique Centrale (Tervuren, Belgium), where type material is housed

Doumea typica Sauvage 1879    serving as type of genus

Phractura Boulenger 1900    phraktos, fenced in; oura, tail, referring to bony plates enclosing slender caudal peduncle

Phractura ansorgii Boulenger 1902    in honor of explorer William John Ansorge (1850-1913), who collected type

Phractura bovei (Perugia 1892)    in honor of Italian explorer Giacomo Bove (1852-1887), who explored the Congo River in 1886 and collected type

Phractura brevicauda Boulenger 1911    brevis, short; cauda, tail, probably referring to shorter caudal peduncle (~¼ of body length) compared to congeners

Phractura clauseni Daget & Stauch 1963    in honor of Danish ichthyologist H. Stenholt Clausen (1921-2002), who collected type

Phractura fasciata Boulenger 1920    banded, referring to three yellow bars on back

Phractura gladysae Pellegrin 1931    in honor of Gladys Baudon, who for many years helped her father, French colonial administrator Alfred Baudon (1875-1932), in his fisheries research

Phractura intermedia Boulenger 1911    allusion not explained, perhaps referring to caudal peduncle intermediate in length between P. brevicauda and P. longicauda

Phractura lindica Boulenger 1902    ica, belonging to: Lindi River, Democratic Republic of the Congo, type locality

Phractura longicauda Boulenger 1903    longus, long; cauda, tail, referring to longer caudal peduncle compared to congeners known at the time

Phractura macrura Poll 1967    macro-, long; oura, tail, referring to long caudal peduncle, 17.2 times longer than high

Phractura scaphyrhynchura (Vaillant 1886)    etymology not explained; since the only characteristic mentioned in Vaillant’s one-sentence description is a flattened caudal peduncle covered with bony scutes, perhaps name means “sturgeon tail” (Scaphirhynchus, a genus of sturgeons; oura, tail)

Phractura stiassny Skelton 2007    named for Melanie Stiassny (b. 1953), Curator of Ichthyology at the American Museum of Natural History, for her contributions to African ichthyology and in appreciation for support given to Skelton to carry out this study

Phractura tenuicauda (Boulenger 1902)    tenuis, thin; cauda, tail, referring to very thin and depressed caudal peduncle

Trachyglanis Boulenger 1902    trachys, rough, referring to a double series of rough, bicarinate bony scutes on each side, uniting on the caudal peduncle; glanis, sheatfish (Silurus glanis), now used as a general term for catfish

Trachyglanis ineac (Poll 1954)    named for the Centre de l’Institut National pour l’Etude Agronomique du Congo belge (I.N.E.A.C.), Stanleyville (now Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo), near type locality

Trachyglanis intermedius Pellegrin 1928    intermediate between Trachyglanis and Belonoglanis by the presence of teeth on the upper jaw

Trachyglanis minutus Boulenger 1902    minute, referring to small size, 50 mm TL

Trachyglanis sanghensis Pellegrin 1925    ensis, suffix denoting place: Sangha River, Ouésso, Republic of the Congo, where it is endemic