Ambassidae
Encyclopedia
The Asiatic glassfishes are a family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

, Ambassidae, of freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...

 and marine fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...

es in the order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...

 Perciformes
Perciformes
The Perciformes, also called the Percomorphi or Acanthopteri, is one of the largest orders of vertebrates, containing about 40% of all bony fish. Perciformes means perch-like. They belong to the class of ray-finned fish and comprise over 7,000 species found in almost all aquatic environments...

. The species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 in the family are native to the waters of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

 and Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...

 and the Indian
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

 and western Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

s. The family includes eight genera
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 and about fifty species.

The family was formerly known as the Chandidae, a name which ITIS
Itis
Itis may refer to* Integrated Taxonomic Information System, a partnership designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the taxonomy of biological species...

 continues to use. FishBase
FishBase
FishBase is a comprehensive database of information about fish species . It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web...

 notes that Ambassidae, which was named by Klunzinger in 1870, has priority over Chandidae, which was created by Fowler
Henry Weed Fowler
Henry Weed Fowler was an American zoologist born in Holmesburg, Pennsylvania.He studied at Stanford University under David Starr Jordan...

 in 1905.

The Ambassidae reach a maximum size of approximately 26 cm (10 in). Many of the species are noted for their transparent or semi-transparent bodies.

A number of species are used as aquarium fish, noted for their transparent bodies. The Indian glassy fish
Indian glassy fish
The Indian glassy fish, Parambassis ranga, is a species of freshwater fish in the Asiatic glassfish family of order Perciformes. It is native to an area of south Asia from Pakistan to Malaysia....

, Parambassis ranga, is sometimes injected with coloured dyes
Painted fish
The term painted fish refers to ornamental aquarium fish which have been artificially coloured to appeal to consumers. This artificial colouring, also known as juicing, is achieved by a number of methods, such as injecting the fish with a hypodermic syringe containing bright fluorescent colour dye,...

 by dealers in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

. The process, known as painting, dyeing or juicing fish is strongly opposed by many in the aquarium community. UK based aquarium publication Practical Fishkeeping has been campaigning since 1997 to stop the trade in these fish and runs a global register of stores who have pledged not to stock them. More than half of the UK's aquarium shops have signed up and the fish are now less common in the UK as a result.

Species

There are about fifty species in eight genera:
  • Genus Ambassis
    Ambassis
    Ambassis is a genus of fish in the Ambassidae family. The genus was created by French naturalist Georges Cuvier, and is Greek for 'climbing up'.It contains the following species:* Agassiz's olive glassfish, Ambassis agassizii Steindachner, 1867....

    • Agassiz's olive glassfish, Ambassis agassiziiSteindachner
      Franz Steindachner
      Franz Steindachner was an Austrian zoologist.- Work and career :Being interested in natural history, Steindachner took up the study of fossil fishes on the recommendation of his friend Eduard Suess...

      , 1867
      .
    • Sailfin glass perchlet, Ambassis agrammusGünther, 1867.
    • Commerson's glassy, Ambassis ambassis(Lacépède, 1802).
    • Buru glass perchlet, Ambassis buruensisBleeker
      Pieter Bleeker
      Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia – Atlas Ichthyologique des Orientales Neerlandaises – which was published 1862–1877....

      , 1856
      .
    • Buton glassy perchlet, Ambassis butonPopta, 1918.
    • Malabar glassy perchlet, Ambassis dussumieriCuvier
      Georges Cuvier
      Georges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist...

      , 1828
      .
    • Yellowfin glassfish, Ambassis elongatus(Castelnau, 1878).
    • Dusky glass perch
      Dusky glass perch
      The dusky glass perch is a species of fish in the Ambassidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...

      , Ambassis fontoynontiPellegrin, 1932.,
    • Bald glassy, Ambassis gymnocephalus(Lacépède, 1802).
    • Long-spined glass perchlet, Ambassis interruptaBleeker
      Pieter Bleeker
      Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia – Atlas Ichthyologique des Orientales Neerlandaises – which was published 1862–1877....

      , 1852
      .
    • Port Jackson perchlet, Ambassis jacksoniensis(Macleay, 1881).
    • Kop's glass perchlet, Ambassis kopsiiBleeker
      Pieter Bleeker
      Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia – Atlas Ichthyologique des Orientales Neerlandaises – which was published 1862–1877....

      , 1858
      .
    • Macleay's glass perchlet, Ambassis macleayi(Castelnau, 1878).
    • Estuarine glass perchlet, Ambassis macracanthusBleeker
      Pieter Bleeker
      Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia – Atlas Ichthyologique des Orientales Neerlandaises – which was published 1862–1877....

      , 1849
      .
    • Estuary perchlet, Ambassis marianusGünther, 1880.
    • Flag-tailed glass perchlet, Ambassis miopsGünther, 1872.
    • Mueller's glassfish, Ambassis muelleriKlunzinger, 1880.
    • Scalloped perchlet, Ambassis nalua(Hamilton
      Francis Buchanan-Hamilton
      Dr Francis Buchanan, later known as Francis Hamilton but often referred to as Francis Buchanan-Hamilton was a Scottish physician who made significant contributions as a geographer, zoologist, and botanist while living in India.The standard botanical author abbreviation Buch.-Ham. is applied to...

      , 1822)
      .
    • Slender glassy, Ambassis natalensisGilchrist & Thompson, 1908.
    • Longspine glassy, Ambassis productusGuichenot, 1866.
    • Banded-tail glassy perchlet, Ambassis urotaeniaBleeker
      Pieter Bleeker
      Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia – Atlas Ichthyologique des Orientales Neerlandaises – which was published 1862–1877....

      , 1852
      .
    • Vachelli's glass perchlet, Ambassis vachelliiRichardson
      John Richardson (naturalist)
      Sir John Richardson was a Scottish naval surgeon, naturalist and arctic explorer.Richardson was born at Dumfries. He studied medicine at Edinburgh University, and became a surgeon in the navy in 1807. He traveled with John Franklin in search of the Northwest Passage on the Coppermine Expedition of...

      , 1846
      .
  • Genus Chanda
    • Elongate glass-perchlet, Chanda namaHamilton, 1822.
  • Genus Denariusa
    • Denariusa australis(Steindachner
      Franz Steindachner
      Franz Steindachner was an Austrian zoologist.- Work and career :Being interested in natural history, Steindachner took up the study of fossil fishes on the recommendation of his friend Eduard Suess...

      , 1867)
      .
    • Pennyfish, Denariusa bandataWhitley, 1948.
  • Genus Gymnochanda
    • Gymnochanda filamentosaBoeseman, 1957.
    • Gymnochanda flameaRoberts, 1994.
    • Gymnochanda limiKottelat, 1995.
    • Gymnochanda veraeTan & Lim, 2011.
  • Genus Paradoxodacna
    • Paradoxodacna piraticaRoberts, 1989.
  • Genus Parambassis
    Parambassis
    Parambassis, is a genus of freshwater fish in the Asiatic glassfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is the iridescent glassy perchlet Parambassis, is a genus of freshwater fish in the Asiatic glassfish family (Ambassidae) of order Perciformes. The type species is the iridescent...

    • High-finned glass perchlet
      High-finned glass perchlet
      The high-finned glass perchlet, Parambassis altipinnis, is a species of fish in the Ambassidae family. It is endemic to West Papua in Indonesia.-References:* Allen, G. 1996. . Downloaded on 4 August 2007....

      , Parambassis altipinnisAllen, 1982.
    • Iridescent glassy perchlet, Parambassis apogonoides(Bleeker
      Pieter Bleeker
      Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia – Atlas Ichthyologique des Orientales Neerlandaises – which was published 1862–1877....

      , 1851)
      .
    • Sepik glass perchlet, Parambassis confinis(Weber, 1913).
    • Day's glassy perchlet, Parambassis dayi(Bleeker
      Pieter Bleeker
      Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia – Atlas Ichthyologique des Orientales Neerlandaises – which was published 1862–1877....

      , 1874)
      .
    • Giant glassfish, Parambassis gulliveri(Castelnau, 1878).
    • Highfin glassy perchlet, Parambassis lala(Hamilton, 1822).
    • Parambassis macrolepis(Bleeker
      Pieter Bleeker
      Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia – Atlas Ichthyologique des Orientales Neerlandaises – which was published 1862–1877....

      , 1857)
      .
    • Parambassis pulcinellaKottelat, 2003.
    • Indian glassy fish
      Indian glassy fish
      The Indian glassy fish, Parambassis ranga, is a species of freshwater fish in the Asiatic glassfish family of order Perciformes. It is native to an area of south Asia from Pakistan to Malaysia....

      , Parambassis ranga(Hamilton, 1822).
    • Parambassis siamensis(Fowler, 1937).
    • Parambassis tenasserimensisRoberts, 1994.
    • Western Ghat glassy perchlet, Parambassis thomassi(Day, 1870).
    • Parambassis vollmeriRoberts, 1994.
    • Duskyfin glassy perchlet, Parambassis wolffii(Bleeker
      Pieter Bleeker
      Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia – Atlas Ichthyologique des Orientales Neerlandaises – which was published 1862–1877....

      , 1851)
      .
  • Genus Pseudambassis
    • Pseudambassis alleniDatta & Chaudhuri, 1993.
    • Himalayan glassy perchlet, Pseudambassis baculis(Hamilton, 1822).
    • Pseudambassis robertiDatta & Chaudhuri, 1993.
  • Genus Tetracentrum
    Tetracentrum
    Tetracentrum is a small genus of fish in the Ambassidae family.It contains the following three species:* Four-spined glass perchlet, Tetracentrum apogonoides .* Kokoda glass perchlet, Tetracentrum caudovittatus ....

    • Four-spined glass perchlet, Tetracentrum apogonoides(Bleeker
      Pieter Bleeker
      Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia – Atlas Ichthyologique des Orientales Neerlandaises – which was published 1862–1877....

      , 1851)
      .
    • Kokoda glass perchlet
      Kokoda glass perchlet
      The kokoda glass perchlet is a species of fish in the Ambassidae family. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea.-Source:* Allen, G. 1996. . Downloaded on 5 August 2007....

      , Tetracentrum caudovittatus(Norman, 1935).
    • Honess' glass perchlet, Tetracentrum honessi(Schultz, 1945).
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