Cetopsidae

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Whale catfishes
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Siluriformes Family: Cetopsidae
Genera
Subfamily Cetopsinae  Cetopsidium  Cetopsis  Denticetopsis  Paracetopsis Subfamily Helogeninae  Helogenes

Whale catfishes (family Cetopsidae, order Siluriformes) are a small family of fishes. They are found in South America and, although their small sizes, they are feared by the native people, especially in the Amazon Basin, for causing some serious wounds with their bites.

Contents 1 Taxonomy 2 Physical characteristics 3 See also 4 References

[edit] Taxonomy

This family contains about five genera; the genera have been changed as recenetly as 2005 by Vari et. al, giving a total of 37 species.

The family also contains the previously family-level Helogeneidae, now a subfamily in Cetopsidae, including four species in the genus Helogenes.

[edit] Physical characteristics

The body of these catfish are naked. The have three pairs of barbels (they lack nasal barbels). Also, their dorsal and pectoral fins usually lack spines except in a few members of subfamily Cetopsinae. The adipose fin is absent in Cetopsinae, but may be present (though small) in Helogeneinae. In Cetopsinae the swim bladder is highly reduced and is enclosed in a bony capsule.

The maximum length of this family is about 26 cm SL in Cetopsinae and 7 cm in Helogeneinae.

[edit] See also

• List of fish families

[edit] References

• "Cetopsidae". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. Mar 2007 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2007.
• Nelson, Joseph S. (2006). Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0471250317