Dermogenys

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Cladus: Craniata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Superclassis/Classis: Actinopterygii
Classis/Subclassis: Actinopteri
Subclassis/Infraclassis: Neopterygii
Infraclassis: Teleostei
Megacohors: Osteoglossocephalai
Supercohors: Clupeocephala
Cohors: Euteleosteomorpha
Subcohors: Neoteleostei
Infracohors: Eurypterygia
Sectio: Ctenosquamata
Subsectio: Acanthomorphata
Divisio/Superordo: Acanthopterygii
Subdivisio: Percomorphaceae
Series: Ovalentaria
Superordo: Atherinomorphae
Ordo: Beloniformes
Subordo: Belonoidei
Superfamilia: Scomberesocoidea

Familia: Zenarchopteridae
Genus: Dermogenys
Species: D. bispina – D. brachynotopterus – D. bruneiensis – D. collettei – D. montana – D. orientalis – D. palawanensis – D. pusilla – D. robertsi – D. siamensis – D. sumatrana – D. vogti
Name

Dermogenys Kuhl & van Hasselt in van Hasselt, 1823

Gender: feminine

Type species: Dermogenys pusillus van Hasselt, 1823, by monotypy.
References

van Hasselt, J. C. (1823) Uittreksel uit een' brief van Dr. J. C. van Hasselt, aan den Heer C. J. Temminck. Algemein Konst- en Letter-bode II Deel 35: 130–133.

Links

Dermogenys – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).

Dermogenys is a genus of viviparous halfbeaks. They are widely distributed in fresh and brackish water in South and Southeast Asia, ranging from India to the Philippines and Greater Sundas. They are all viviparous, producing small clutches of up to 30 fry that closely resemble the adults, except they are much smaller, around 1–1.5 cm (0.4–0.6 in) in length. Adults are typically around 6–7 cm (2.4–2.8 in) in length, with females being slightly larger than males. Males tend to be more brightly coloured and are well known for being aggressive towards one another. The wrestling halfbeak, D. pusilla, is widely used in Asia as fighting animals upon which wagers are placed (see Siamese fighting fish). Both sexes have lower jaws (mandibles) that are much longer than the upper ones, and from this comes the "halfbeak" name.

Dermogenys feed extensively on small insects, either in the form of aquatic larvae or as flying insects that have fallen onto the surface of the water. They are important predators on insects such as mosquitoes, so play a role in controlling malaria.

Reproduction
A three-week-old Dermogenys fry.

Dermogenys are live-bearing fish that practise internal fertilisation. The male is equipped with a gonopodium-like anal fin known as an andropodium that delivers sperm into the female. The gestation period is about one month. The exact mode of reproduction ranges from ovoviviparity through to viviparity (see section on reproduction in the Zenarchopteridae article). About ten embryos are developed at any one time, but at birth, these are fairly large (around 1 cm or 0.4 in) compared with other fish of this size. Dermogenys adults are around 4–7 cm (1.6–2.8 in) in length, depending on the species.
Species

There are currently 12 recognized species in this genus:[1]

Dermogenys bispina A. D. Meisner & Collette, 1998
Dermogenys brachynotopterus (Bleeker, 1853)
Dermogenys bruneiensis A. D. Meisner, 2001
Dermogenys burmanica Mukerji, 1935
Dermogenys collettei A. D. Meisner, 2001
Dermogenys orientalis (M. C. W. Weber, 1894)
Dermogenys palawanensis A. D. Meisner, 2001
Dermogenys pusilla Kuhl & van Hasselt, 1823 (Wrestling halfbeak)
Dermogenys robertsi A. D. Meisner, 2001
Dermogenys siamensis Fowler, 1934
Dermogenys sumatrana (Bleeker, 1854)
Dermogenys vogti Brembach, 1982