Chitala lopis (Bleeker, 1851)
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
Chitala lopis, also known as the belida or giant featherback, is a species of freshwater fish, endemic to the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. It inhabits lowland river mainstreams and tributaries with rocky and sunken wood bottoms, as well as forest-covered streams. It feeds on smaller fishes, insects and vertebrates, mostly at night. The species was declared to be extinct on 2020 and hasn't been updated since, but rediscovered at the type locality in 2023.
Wikipedia contributors, Chitala lopis; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:19:09.370862+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Chitala lopis (Bleeker, 1851)
- Name authority
- (Bleeker, 1851)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Osteoglossiformes
- Family
- Notopteridae
- Genus
- Chitala
- 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
- orderOsteoglossiformes
- familyNotopteridae Bleeker, 1851
- subfamilyNotopterinae Bleeker, 1851
- genusChitala Fowler, 1934
- speciesChitala lopis (Bleeker, 1851)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Chitala. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Chitala blanci (d'Aubenton, 1965) | NotopteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chitala borneensis (Bleeker, 1851) | NotopteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chitala ornata (Gray, 1831) | NotopteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chitala chitala (Hamilton, 1822) | NotopteridaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Notopterus lopies Bleeker, 1845 Bleeker, 1845 | synonym |
| Notopterus lopis Bleeker, 1851 Bleeker, 1851 | 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=1021765 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:5XTWS. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.