Updated 5 May 2024
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Loach Catfishes
Subfamily AMPHILIINAE Regan 1911

Amphilius Günther 1864 etymology not explained, perhaps amphi– (Gr. ἁμφί), on both sides or double, and leí̄os (Gr. λεῖος) 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), 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, Latin suffix denoting place: Atesu River, Ghana, type locality

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

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

Amphilius caudosignatus Skelton 2007 cauda (L.), tail; signatus (L.), marked, referring to “striking” 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 Latin for fat or stout, referring to its deep, stout body

Amphilius cryptobullatus Skelton 1986 cryptos, from kryptόs (Gr. κρυπτός), hidden; bullatus (L.), provided with a bulla or bullae (i.e., blistered or bubbled), referring to “prominent but externally unevident large cup-like swimbladder encapsulations”

Amphilius dimonikensis Skelton 2007 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Dimonika Biosphere Reserve, Mayombe, Republic of Congo, where type locality (Mpoulou River) is situated

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 ichthyologist John P. Friel, then-curator of the Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates (Ithaca, New York, USA), for his “excellent” contributions to the study of African fishes

Amphilius grandis Boulenger 1905 Latin for 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, and a “keen” naturalist and ornithologist, who collected holotype

Amphilius kakrimensis Teugels, Skelton & Lévêque 1987 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: small tributary of Kakrima River, Kasseri, Guinea, type locality

Amphilius kivuensis Pellegrin 1933 –ensis, Latin 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 German physician-herpetologist Paul Krefft (1872–1945), who collected holotype

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 holotype 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 (L.), broad or wide; caudatus (L.), tailed, referring to short and deep caudal peduncle

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

Amphilius leopardus Mazungula & Chakona 2021 Latin for leopard, referring to its conspicuous leopard-like color pattern

Amphilius longirostris (Boulenger 1901) longus (L.), long; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), 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 holotype (and that of A. opisthophthalmus)

Amphilius mamonekenensis Skelton 2007 –ensis, a Latin suffix usually denoting place but here used for a patronym: in honor of Victor Mamonekene (b. 1959), Université Marien Ngouabi, who helped collect holotype, 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, Latin suffix denoting place: Natal, South Africa, type locality

Amphilius nigricaudatus Pellegrin 1909 niger (L.), black or dark; caudatus (L.), tailed, referring to large central black spot on caudal fin

Amphilius opisthophthalmus Boulenger 1919 rear-eyed, from ópisthen (Gr. ὄπισθεν), behind, and ophthalmós (Gr. ὀφθαλμός), eye, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to placement of eyes on back half of head

Amphilius pagei Thomson & Swartz 2018 in honor of American ichthyologist 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 Latin for peduncle, referring to its distinctively short and deep caudal peduncle

Amphilius platychir (Günther 1864) platýs (Gr. πλατύς), flat or broad; chir, from cheír (Gr. χείρ), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), referring to its broad, fan-like pectoral-fin rays

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

Amphilius rheophilus Daget 1959 rhéos (Gr. ῥέος), stream, current or rushing stream; phílos (Gr. φίλος), fond of, referring to its occurrence in fast-flowing upper tributaries of rivers and streams

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

Amphilius uranoscopus (Pfeffer 1889) ouranós (Gr. οὐρανός), heaven or sky; skopós (Gr. σκοπός), looker, contemplator or viewer, referring to its dorsally set eyes

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

Amphilius zuluorum Mazungula & Chakona 2021 –orum (L.), 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 pará (Gr. παρά), beside or 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 holotype

Paramphilius firestonei Schultz 1942 in honor of the Smithsonian-Firestone Expedition to Liberia, during which holotype was collected

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

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

Paramphilius trichomycteroides Pellegrin 1907 –oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: resembling the South American catfish genus Trichomycterus (Trichomycteridae)

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Sand Catlets
Subfamily LEPTOGLANINAE Roberts 2003

Dolichamphilius Roberts 2003 dolichós (Gr. δολιχός), long or elongate, referring to “extremely” elongate body and caudal peduncle; ámmos or hámmos (Gr. ᾰ̓́μμος or ἅμμος), sand, and phílos (Gr. φίλος), fond of, referring to sandy habitat and sand-burrowing fright response of many leptoglanins (apparently does not refer to Amphilius, type genus of family, as specified forTetracamphilius)

Dolichamphilius brieni (Poll 1959) in honor of friend and zoological colleague Paul Brien (1894–1975), Université libre de Bruxelles (Belgium), a member of expedition during which holotype was collected (see also Belonoglanis brieni)

Dolichamphilius longiceps Roberts 2003 longus (L.), long; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to its longer head compared with D. brieni (Tyson R. Roberts, pers. comm.)

Leptoglanis Boulenger 1902 leptós (Gr. λεπτός), thin or slender, referring to thin and elongate body of L. xenognathus; glánis (Gr. γλάνις), ancient name for a silurid catfish (probably Silurus aristotelis) dating to Aristotle, often used as a general term for catfish

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

Leptoglanis xenognathus Boulenger 1902 xeno-, from xenikós (Gr. ξενικός), strange or foreign (i.e., different); gnathus, from gnáthos (Gr. γνάθος), jaw, referring to thin and elongate maxillary, movable, connected to head by a membranous fold

Psammphiletria Roberts 2003 psámmos (Gr. ψάμμος), sand; philetairía (Gr. φιλεταιρία), friendship (Roberts said philetria, “lover of,” but that word does not appear in any readily available Greek dictionary), referring to sandy habitat and/or presumed sand-diving behavior (a fright response)

Psammphiletria delicata Roberts 2003 Latin for dainty or delicate, referring to its slender shape (Tyson R. Roberts, pers. comm.)

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

Tetracamphilius Roberts 2003 tetrá (Gr. τετρά), four, and aca, from akís (Gr. ἀκίς), 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 indicated for Dolichamphilius, above)

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

Tetracamphilius clandestinus Roberts 2003 Latin for 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) Latin for 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 Latin for raked or combed, referring to small serrations on pectoral fin

Zaireichthys Roberts 1968 Zaire, African name for the Congo River, referring to distribution of Z. zonatus; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish

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

Zaireichthys camerunensis (Daget & Stauch 1963) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Cameroon, where type locality (Bénoué basin at Lakdo) is situated

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

Zaireichthys conspicuus Eccles, Tweddle & Skelton 2011 Latin for apparent or obvious, referring to its “conspicuous bold markings”

Zaireichthys dorae (Poll 1967) in honor of Dora Machado, who collected holotype, and wife of zoologist António de Barros Machado (1912–2002), Musée de Dundo (Angola)

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

Zaireichthys heterurus Roberts 2003 héteros (Gr. ἕτερος), different; urus, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), differing from all other amphiliids in having 7+5 principal caudal-fin rays

Zaireichthys kafuensis Eccles, Tweddle & Skelton 2011 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Kafu River above Kafue Gorge, Zambia, type locality

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

Zaireichthys kunenensis Eccles, Tweddle & Skelton 2011 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Kunene River, Angola-Namibia border, type locality

Zaireichthys lacustris Eccles, Tweddle & Skelton 2011 Latin for of or belonging to a lake (lacustrine), the first species of the 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, Latin suffix denoting place: Maravi Kingdom, 16th century name of Malawi, known only from western catchment rivers of Lake Malawi (but is likely to occur also in rivers flowing into Lake Malawi from Tanzania and Mozambique)

Zaireichthys monomotapa Eccles, Tweddle & Skelton 2011 named for 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 Latin for pale or pallid, referring to its very pale coloration

Zaireichthys rotundiceps (Hilgendorf 1905) rotundus (L.), round or circular; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to semi-circular shape of head when seen from above

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

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

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African Whiptail Catfishes
Subfamily DOUMEINAE Regan 1911

Andersonia Boulenger 1900 –ia (L. suffix), 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 thin-tailed, from leptós (Gr. λεπτός), fine or thin, and ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to its extremely slender caudal peduncle

Belonoglanis Boulenger 1902 belónē (Gr. βελόνη), needle, referring to elongate body with extremely thin caudal peduncle; glánis (Gr. γλάνις), ancient name for a silurid catfish (probably Silurus aristotelis) dating to Aristotle, often 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 during which holotype was collected, 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) [see also Dolichamphilius brieni]

Belonoglanis tenuis Boulenger 1902 Latin or thin or slender, referring to its very thin and depressed caudal peduncle

Congoglanis Ferraris, Vari & Skelton 2011 Congo, referring to distribution of all species in the Congo River basin; glánis (Gr. γλάνις), ancient name for a silurid catfish (probably Silurus aristotelis) dating to Aristotle, often used as a general term for catfish

Congoglanis alula (Nichols & Griscom 1917) Latin for winglet, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its 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 Latin for arrow, referring to its slender, streamlined shape relative to that of its congeners

Doumea Sauvage 1879 -[i]a, adjectival suffix: Doumé, Gabon, type locality of D. typica

Doumea angolensis Boulenger 1906 –ensis, Latin 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 holotype

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

Doumea reidi Ferraris, Skelton & Vari 2010 in honor of British zoologist and zoo director Gordon McGregor Reid (b. 1948), North of England Zoological Society, who collected holotype 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 upper reaches of 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 (L.), a pointed instrument used for writing on waxen tablets (authors say stake); cauda (L.), tail, referring to stake-like caudal peduncle

Doumea thysi Skelton 1989 in honor of Belgian 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 the genus

Phractura Boulenger 1900 phraktós (Gr. φρακτός), protected; ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to bony plates enclosing slender caudal peduncle

Phractura ansorgii Boulenger 1902 in honor of British explorer and collector William John Ansorge (1850–1913), who collected holotype

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

Phractura brevicauda Boulenger 1911 brevis (L.), short; cauda (L.), 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 holotype

Phractura fasciata Boulenger 1920 Latin or 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 Latin for intermediate allusion not explained, perhaps referring to caudal peduncle intermediate in length between P. brevicauda and P. longicauda

Phractura lindica Boulenger 1902 –ica (L.), belonging to: Lindi River, Democratic Republic of the Congo, type locality

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

Phractura macrura Poll 1967 big-tailed, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to its 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,” from Scaphirhynchus, a genus of sturgeons, and ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail

Phractura stiassny Skelton 2007 in honor of British-born Americal ichthyologist 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; she is also lead editor of a synthesis volume (2007) on the fresh and brackish water fishes of the West Central Africa [a noun in apposition, without the matronymic “ae”]

Phractura tenuicauda (Boulenger 1902) tenuis (L.), thin or slender; cauda (L.), tail, referring to its very thin and depressed caudal peduncle

Trachyglanis Boulenger 1902 trachýs (Gr. τραχύς), jagged or rough, referring to a double series of rough, bicarinate bony scutes on sides, uniting on the caudal peduncle; glánis (Gr. γλάνις), ancient name for a silurid catfish (probably Silurus aristotelis) dating to Aristotle, often 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 Latin for intermediate, described as intermediate between Trachyglanis and Belonoglanis by the presence of teeth on the upper jaw

Trachyglanis minutus Boulenger 1902 Latin for small, referring to its small size, 50 mm TL

Trachyglanis sanghensis Pellegrin 1925 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Sangha River, Ouésso, Republic of the Congo, type locality