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Arowana

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

? Arowana
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Osteoglossiformes Family: Osteoglossidae
Sub-families
Heterotidinae Osteoglossinae

Arowanas are freshwater bony fish of the family Osteoglossidae, sometimes known as "Bony tongues".

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Classification

They are primitive throwbacks from the lower Tertiary and are placed in the actinopterygiid order Osteoglossiformes. Seven described species remain: three from South America, one from Africa and the remaining three from Australia.

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Habits

Most are entirely carnivorous, often being specialized surface feeders. They are excellent jumpers and it has been reported that Osteoglossum species have been seen leaping more than 6 feet (almost 2 metres) from the water surface to pick off monkeys from overhanging branches in South America. All species are large, and the Arapaima is a contender for the world's largest fish.

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Species

The family contains two subfamilies, Heterotidinae and Osteoglossinae, with all but two of the seven extant species being members of the latter.

• Subfamily Heterotidinae
  • Genus Arapaima
    • Arapaima gigas (Cuvier, 1829) - the "Pirarucu" or Arapaima
  • Genus Heterotis
    • Heterotis niloticus (Cuvier, 1829) - the "African Arowana"
• Subfamily Osteoglossinae
  • Genus Osteoglossum Cuvier, 1829
    • Osteoglossum bicirrhosum (Cuvier, 1829) - the "Silver Arowana"
    • Osteoglossum ferreirai Kanazawa, 1966 - the "Black Arowana"
  • Genus Scleropages
    • Scleropages formosus (Schlegel & Müller, 1844)- the "Asian Arowana" or "Green Arowana"
    • Scleropages jardini (Saville-Kent, 1892)- the "Silver Barramundi" or "Northern Barramundi"
    • Scleropages leichardti Günther, 1864 - the "Spotted Barramundi"

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arowana"

Categories: Osteoglossiform fish | Bony-tongued fishes