Chitala ornata (Gray, 1831)
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
The clown featherback (Chitala ornata), also known as the clown knifefish and spotted knifefish, is a nocturnal species of tropical fish with a long, knife-like body. This knifefish is native to freshwater habitats in Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Laos, Macau, Thailand, and Vietnam, but it has also been introduced to regions outside its native range. It is one of the world's most invasive species.
It is often seen in aquaculture and the aquarium trade, where it is frequently confused with Chitala chitala; the latter species is very rare in the aquarium trade. The clown featherback reaches 1 m (3.3 ft) in length, outgrowing all but the largest aquaria, yet it is popular.
Wikipedia contributors, Clown featherback; 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 ornata (Gray, 1831)
- Name authority
- (Gray, 1831)
- 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 ornata (Gray, 1831)
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 lopis (Bleeker, 1851) | 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 ornatus Gray, 1831 Gray, 1831 | synonym |
| Chitara ornata (Gray, 1831) (Gray, 1831) | synonym |
| Notopterus ocellifer Bleeker, 1865 Bleeker, 1865 | 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=1022648 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:5XTX4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.