Parailia pellucida (Boulenger, 1901)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Parailia pellucida, the African glass catfish, is a small, transparent species of catfish that is generally found in the lakes and rivers of West Africa. Though it closely resembles the Asian glass catfish (Kryptopterus vitreolus), with the difference of a dark line running along its length and a typically cloudier body, they are not related and belong to different families. The glass-like body in both species just shows an example of convergent evolution. The African glass catfish comes from the Schilbeidae family, the genus Parailia (formerly referred to as Physailia) and the species pellucida. The African glass catfish typically feeds on small insects and crustaceans, spending its feeding time near the surface. This species is known to be a schooling fish, both in the wild and in the aquarium hobby. Other than its use in the aquarium trade, it also serves as food despite its small size, as well as playing a role in various research.
Wikipedia contributors, Parailia pellucida; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:31:31.253395+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Parailia pellucida (Boulenger, 1901)
- Name authority
- (Boulenger, 1901)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Siluriformes
- Family
- Schilbeidae
- Genus
- Parailia
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderSiluriformes
- familySchilbeidae Bleeker, 1858
- genusParailia Boulenger, 1899
- speciesParailia pellucida (Boulenger, 1901)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Parailia. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Parailia occidentalis (Pellegrin, 1901) | SchilbeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Parailia somalensis (Vinciguerra, 1897) | SchilbeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Parailia congica Boulenger, 1899 | SchilbeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Parailia spiniserrata Svensson, 1933 | SchilbeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Physailia pellucida Boulenger, 1901 Boulenger, 1901 | synonym |
| Physaillia pellucida Boulenger, 1901 Boulenger, 1901 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1469360 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4CX85. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.