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Ambassidae
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| Asiatic glassfishes Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| Indian glassy fish, Parambassis ranga | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Mugiliformes |
| Family: | Ambassidae Klunzinger, 1870 |
| Genera[1] | |
|
Ambassis | |
The Asiatic glassfishes are a family, the Ambassidae, of freshwater and marine ray-finned fishes. Some species are known as perchlets.
The family has also been called Chandidae, and some sources continue to use the name,[2] but as Ambassidae was used earlier, it has precedence over Chandidae, which was first used in 1905.[3]
Taxonomy
[edit]This family was formerly classified in the order Perciformes but most authorities currently consider this order to be paraphyletic. Currently the Ambassidae are of uncertain affinities (incertae sedis) within the subseries Ovalentaria.[4]
Description
[edit]The largest species reaches a maximum size around 26 cm (10 in). Many of the species are noted for their transparent or semitransparent bodies, which makes them desirable for the aquarium trade. The Indian glassy fish (Parambassis ranga) is transparent, but showier specimens that had been injected with artificial coloring were sold as novelty pets in the 1990s. Since then, these "painted fish" have become much less popular, with more fishkeepers seeking naturally pigmented specimens.[5]
The species in the family are native to Asia, Oceania, the Indian Ocean, and the western Pacific Ocean. The family includes eight genera[1] and about 51 species.[6]
Fossils
[edit]
The earliest fossil remains of this family are from the Early Eocene, with the fossil genus Kapurdia from the early Eocene of Rajasthan, India[7] and otoliths of Ambassis antipodus from the Early Eocene of New Zealand.[8] One of the most notable fossil members of the family is Dapalis, which appears to be a stem group-glassfish that was dominant in freshwater and estuarine ecosystems throughout Europe from the Middle Eocene to Middle Miocene, with 21 species known from both fossil skeletons and otoliths.[9][10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Ambassidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ "Ambassidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
- ^ Morgan, D. L. (2010). "Fishes of the King Edward River in the Kimberley region, Western Australia" (PDF). Records of the Western Australian Museum. 25 (4): 351–368. doi:10.18195/issn.0312-3162.25(4).2010.351-368.
- ^ Nelson, Joseph S.; Grande, Terry C.; Wilson, Mark V. H. (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons. p. 752. doi:10.1002/9781119174844. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6.
- ^ Dawes, J. (2001). Complete Encyclopedia of the Freshwater Aquarium. Firefly Books. p. 289. ISBN 978-1-55297-544-2.
- ^ "Family: Ambassidae Asiatic glassfishes". www.fishbase.se. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
- ^ India, Zoological Society of (1969). Journal of the Zoological Society of India. The Society.
- ^ Schwarzhans, Werner (2019). "Reconstruction of a fossil marine bony fish fauna (Teleostei) from the Eocene to Pleistocene of New Zealand by means of otolith: with studies of recent congroid, morid and trachinoid otoliths". www.vliz.be. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
- ^ Ghazali, Siti Zafirah; Lavoué, Sébastien; Sukmono, Tedjo; Habib, Ahasan; Tan, Min Pau; Nor, Siti Azizah Mohd (2023). "Cenozoic colonisation of the Indian Ocean region by the Australian freshwater-originating glassperch family Ambassidae (Teleostei)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 186 107832. Bibcode:2023MolPE.18607832G. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107832. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 37263456.
- ^ Ahnelt, Harald; Bradić-Milinović, Katarina (2024). "A Unique and Species-Rich Assemblage of Freshwater Glassfishes (Teleostei: Ambassidae: Dapalis) from the lower Oligocene of the Central Paratethys with the Description of Four New Species". Taxonomy. 4 (4): 805–849. doi:10.3390/taxonomy4040044. ISSN 2673-6500.
Ambassidae
View on GrokipediaTaxonomy and Classification
Higher Classification
Ambassidae is classified within the class Actinopterygii, the ray-finned fishes, which encompasses the vast majority of extant fish species. The family is positioned in the superorder Acanthopterygii and the subdivision Percomorpha, reflecting its spiny-rayed dorsal fin structure and advanced evolutionary traits shared with other percomorph groups.[6] In terms of ordinal placement, Ambassidae has historically been associated with Perciformes but is now more accurately situated within the series Ovalentaria as incertae sedis, based on molecular phylogenetic analyses that highlight its uncertain position relative to established orders like Mugiliformes. This placement underscores close phylogenetic ties to other percomorph fishes, including cichlids and mullets, supported by multi-locus molecular data from nearly 2,000 species. The subseries Ovalentaria itself lacks clear morphological synapomorphies but is robustly resolved in molecular phylogenies with high bootstrap support (97%).[6] The family Ambassidae was originally described by Klunzinger in 1870, establishing it as the senior synonym for the group. It was formerly known under the name Chandidae, proposed by Fowler in 1905, but this designation became obsolete due to nomenclatural priority rules under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.[7][1] The etymology of the family name derives from the Greek word ambasis (ἄμβασις), meaning "climbing up" or "ascent," alluding to the tendency of some species to inhabit vegetated shallows or climb into marginal habitats like mangroves.[2]Genera and Species
The family Ambassidae encompasses eight recognized genera: Ambassis, Chanda, Denariusa, Gymnochanda, Parambassis, Pseudambassis, Pseudoambassis, and Tetracentrum.[1] These genera collectively include approximately 57 valid species (as of April 2025), distributed across freshwater, brackish, and marine habitats in the Indo-Pacific region.[1] The genus Ambassis is the most speciose, comprising 18 species, many of which exhibit high morphological similarity and transparent body forms characteristic of the family.[1] Notable examples include Ambassis ambassis (Commerson's glassfish), a widespread species reaching up to 15 cm in standard length, and Parambassis ranga (Indian glassy perchlet), which is frequently encountered in the aquarium trade due to its striking translucency and peaceful demeanor.[8][9] The largest species in the family, Parambassis gulliveri (giant glassfish), attains a maximum length of about 24 cm. Recent taxonomic revisions have been informed by molecular phylogenetics, revealing non-monophyly in major genera such as Ambassis and Parambassis, prompting calls for further systematic rearrangements to better reflect evolutionary relationships.[3] For instance, a 2019 multilocus study on Indian Ambassis species highlighted cryptic diversity and supported synonymies in some cases, while broader analyses in 2023 emphasized biogeographic patterns influencing genus boundaries.[10] These updates underscore the ongoing refinement of ambassid taxonomy beyond traditional morphology-based classifications.[11]| Genus | Approximate Number of Species | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ambassis | 18 | Most diverse; includes widespread Indo-Pacific forms.[1] |
| Parambassis | 8 | Includes large species like P. gulliveri; some aquarium trades.[1] |
| Chanda | 11 | Primarily Asian freshwater species.[1] |
| Denariusa | 2 | Australian endemics.[1] |
| Gymnochanda | 5 | Small, ornate species from Southeast Asia.[1] |
| Pseudambassis | 1 | Monotypic; P. lala.[1] |
| Pseudoambassis | 4 | Australian and New Guinean taxa.[1] |
| Tetracentrum | 3 | Rare, poorly known genus.[1] |
