Pterolebias

Pterolebias is a genus of killifish from the family Rivulidae which are native to temporary swamps and ponds in South America. It includes two groups, which sometimes are regarded as separate genera: Pterolebias (sensu stricto) from the southern Amazon and Paraguay (including the Pantanal) river basins, and Gnatholebias from the Orinoco (including the Llanos) river basin.^[2]

Pterolebias
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cyprinodontiformes
Family:	Rivulidae
Genus:	Pterolebias Garman, 1895
Type species
Pterolebias longipinnis Garman, 1895[1]
Synonyms
Gnatholebias W. J. E. M. Costa, 1998

Depending on the exact species, these annual killifish reach up to 7–12 cm (2.8–4.7 in) in total length.^[3]

Species

There are four recognized species in Pterolebias according to FishBase,^[3] but two of these are sometimes placed in a separate genus, Gnatholebias. The two groups are relatively distantly related and if kept in a single genus Pterolebias is paraphyletic.^[2][4]

• Pterolebias (sensu stricto)
  • Pterolebias longipinnis Garman, 1895 (Longfin killie)
  • Pterolebias phasianus W. J. E. M. Costa, 1988
• Gnatholebias
  • Pterolebias hoignei Thomerson, 1974
  • Pterolebias zonatus G. S. Myers, 1935