Heteropneustes

Heteropneustes
Heteropneustes fossilis
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Superfamily: Siluroidea
Family: Heteropneustidae
Hora, 1936
Genus: Heteropneustes
J. P. Müller, 1840
Type species
Silurus fossilis
Bloch, 1794
Synonyms

Saccobranchus
Valenciennes, 1840
Clarisilurus
Fowler, 1937

Heteropneustes is a genus of catfishes, the airsac catfishes, native to Asia. This genus is monotypic in the family Heteropneustidae.

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.

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