Ambassidae

Asiatic glassfishes
Indian glassy fish, Parambassis ranga
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Ambassidae
Genera
Ambassis Chanda Denariusa Gymnochanda Paradoxodacna Parambassis Pseudambassis Tetracentrum See text for species.

The Asiatic glassfishes are a family, Ambassidae, of freshwater and marine fishes in order Perciformes. The species in the family are native to the waters of Asia and Oceania and the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. The family includes eight genera and about fifty species.

The family was formerly known as the Chandidae, which name ITIS continues to use. FishBase notes that Ambassidae Klunzinger, 1870, has priority over Chandidae Fowler, 1905.[1]

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.

The Indian glassy fish, Parambassis ranga, is sometimes injected with coloured dyes by unscrupulous dealers in Thailand. 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
  • Agassiz's olive glassfish, Ambassis agassizii Steindachner, 1867.
  • Sailfin glass perchlet, Ambassis agrammus Günther, 1867.
  • Commerson's glassy, Ambassis ambassis (Lacépède, 1802).
  • Buru glass perchlet, Ambassis buruensis Bleeker, 1856.
  • Buton glassy perchlet, Ambassis buton Popta, 1918.
  • Malabar glassy perchlet, Ambassis dussumieri Cuvier, 1828.
  • Yellowfin glassfish, Ambassis elongatus (Castelnau, 1878).
  • Dusky glass perch, Ambassis fontoynonti Pellegrin, 1932.

    

    This Indian glassy fish, Parambassis ranga, has been "painted" by injection with pink dye.

  • Bald glassy, Ambassis gymnocephalus (Lacépède, 1802).
  • Long-spined glass perchlet, Ambassis interrupta Bleeker, 1852.
  • Port Jackson perchlet, Ambassis jacksoniensis (Macleay, 1881).
  • Freckled hawkfish, Ambassis kopsii Bleeker, 1858.
  • Macleay's glass perchlet, Ambassis macleayi (Castelnau, 1878).
  • Estuarine glass perchlet, Ambassis macracanthus Bleeker, 1849.
  • Estuary perchlet, Ambassis marianus Günther, 1880.
  • Flag-tailed glass perchlet, Ambassis miops Günther, 1872.
  • Mueller's glassfish, Ambassis muelleri Klunzinger, 1880.
  • Scalloped perchlet, Ambassis nalua (Hamilton, 1822).
  • Slender glassy, Ambassis natalensis Gilchrist & Thompson, 1908.
  • Longspine glassy, Ambassis productus Guichenot, 1866.
  • Banded-tail glassy perchlet, Ambassis urotaenia Bleeker, 1852.
  • Vachelli's glass perchlet, Ambassis vachellii Richardson, 1846.
• Genus Chanda
  • Elongate glass-perchlet, Chanda nama Hamilton, 1822.
• Genus Denariusa
  • Denariusa australis (Steindachner, 1867).
  • Pennyfish, Denariusa bandata Whitley, 1948.
• Genus Gymnochanda
  • Gymnochanda filamentosa Boeseman, 1957.
  • Gymnochanda flamea Roberts, 1994.
  • Gymnochanda limi Kottelat, 1995.
• Genus Paradoxodacna
  • Paradoxodacna piratica Roberts, 1989.
• Genus Parambassis
  • High-finned glass perchlet, Parambassis altipinnis Allen, 1982.
  • Iridescent glassy perchlet, Parambassis apogonoides (Bleeker, 1851).
  • Sepik glass perchlet, Parambassis confinis (Weber, 1913).
  • Day's glassy perchlet, Parambassis dayi (Bleeker, 1874).
  • Giant glassfish, Parambassis gulliveri (Castelnau, 1878).
  • Highfin glassy perchlet, Parambassis lala (Hamilton, 1822).
  • Parambassis macrolepis (Bleeker, 1857).
  • Parambassis pulcinella Kottelat, 2003.
  • Indian glassy fish, Parambassis ranga (Hamilton, 1822).
  • Parambassis siamensis (Fowler, 1937).
  • Parambassis tenasserimensis Roberts, 1994.
  • Western Ghat glassy perchlet, Parambassis thomassi (Day, 1870).
  • Parambassis vollmeri Roberts, 1994.
  • Duskyfin glassy perchlet, Parambassis wolffii (Bleeker, 1851).
• Genus Pseudambassis
  • Pseudambassis alleni Datta & Chaudhuri, 1993.
  • Himalayan glassy perchlet, Pseudambassis baculis (Hamilton, 1822).
  • Pseudambassis roberti Datta & Chaudhuri, 1993.
• Genus Tetracentrum
  • Four-spined glass perchlet, Tetracentrum apogonoides (Bleeker, 1851).
  • Kokoda glass perchlet, Tetracentrum caudovittatus (Norman, 1935).
  • Honess' glass perchlet, Tetracentrum honessi (Schultz, 1945).

References

• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2004). "Ambassidae" in FishBase. October 2004 version.
• "Chandidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 5 December. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)

External links

• Practical Fishkeeping magazine