Heteropneustes
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Heteropneustes is a genus of catfishes, the airsac catfishes, native to Asia. This genus has been placed in the monotypic family Heteropneustidae, but Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes now includes it in family Clariidae.
Their bodies are elongated and compressed with greatly depressed heads. They have long air sacs that serve as lungs that extend from the gill chamber. Their dorsal fins are short and have no spine. Their pectoral fins have an associated venom gland, so the fish are considered dangerous. They are oviparous; distinct pairing is possible.
Species
Up to six species in this genus are recognized:
- Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch, 1794) (stinging catfish)
- Heteropneustes fuscus Plamoottil, 2021 (Travancore black stinging catfish)
- Heteropneustes kemratensis (Fowler, 1937)
- Heteropneustes longipectoralis Rema Devi & Raghunathan, 1999
- Heteropneustes nani Hossain, Sarker, Sharifuzzaman & Chowdhury, 2013
- Heteropneustes microps (Günther, 1864)
H. microps is recognised by FishBase, whereas the Catalog of Fishes considers H. microps a synonym of H. fossilis.