Oryzias latipes (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846)
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 Japanese rice fish (Oryzias latipes), also known as the medaka, is a member of genus Oryzias (ricefish), the only genus in the subfamily Oryziinae. This small (up to about 3.6 cm or 1.4 in) native of Japan is a denizen of rice paddies, marshes, ponds, slow-moving streams and tide pools. It is euryhaline, occurring in both brackish and freshwater. It became popular as an aquarium fish because of its hardiness and pleasant coloration: its coloration varies from creamy-white to yellowish in the wild to white, creamy-yellow, or orange in aquarium-bred individuals. Bright yellow, red or green transgenic populations, similar to GloFish, have also been developed, but are banned from sale in the EU. The medaka has been a popular pet since the 17th century in Japan. After fertilization, the female carries her eggs attached anterior to the anal fin for a period before depositing them on plants or similar things.
Wikipedia contributors, Japanese rice fish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:26:59.241681+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Oryzias latipes (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846)
- Name authority
- (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Beloniformes
- Family
- Adrianichthyidae
- Genus
- Oryzias
- 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
- orderBeloniformes
- familyAdrianichthyidae Weber, 1913
- subfamilyOryziinae Myers, 1938
- genusOryzias Jordan & Snyder, 1906
- speciesOryzias latipes (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Oryzias. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Oryzias asinua Parenti, Hadiaty, Lumbantobing & Herder, 2013 | AdrianichthyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oryzias celebensis (Weber, 1894) | AdrianichthyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oryzias curvinotus (Nichols & Pope, 1927) | AdrianichthyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oryzias javanicus (Bleeker, 1854) | AdrianichthyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oryzias melastigma (McClelland, 1839) | AdrianichthyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oryzias pectoralis Roberts, 1998 | AdrianichthyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oryzias setnai (Kulkarni, 1940) | AdrianichthyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oryzias soerotoi Mokodongan, Tanaka & Yamahira, 2014 | AdrianichthyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oryzias wolasi Parenti, Hadiaty, Lumbantobing & Herder, 2013 | AdrianichthyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oryzias bonneorum Parenti, 2008 | AdrianichthyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oryzias dancena (Hamilton, 1822) | AdrianichthyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oryzias marmoratus (Aurich, 1935) | AdrianichthyidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Oryzias latipes latipes (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) | synonym |
| Poecilia latipes Temminck & Schlegel, 1846 Temminck & Schlegel, 1846 | synonym |
| Aplocheilus latipes (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) | 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=281941 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:6SZHL. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.