Kneriidae
{{Short description|Family of fishes}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|46|0|Middle Eocene to present}}
| image = Kneria angolensis.jpg
| image_caption = Kneria angolensis
| taxon = Kneriidae
| authority = Günther, 1868{{cite journal | author1 = Richard van der Laan | author2 = William N. Eschmeyer | author3 = Ronald Fricke | name-list-style = amp |year=2014 | title = Family-group names of recent fishes | url = https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.3882.1.1/10480 | journal = Zootaxa | volume = 3882 | issue = 2 | pages = 1–230| doi = 10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1 | pmid = 25543675 | doi-access = free }}
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision = See text
}}
The Kneriidae are a small family of freshwater gonorhynchiform fishes native to sub-Saharan Africa.
The species in this family typically live in fast-flowing streams, often in highlands, and are small fish, no more than {{cvt|15|cm}} in length. The second subfamily Phractolaeminae contains only a single species, which typically inhabits stagnant or slow-moving waters and reaches up to {{cvt|25|cm}} in length. All Kneriidae have an elongated body shape. Some species are sexually dimorphic, with the male possessing a rosette on the gill covers that is absent in the females. Other species are neotenic, retaining larval features into adulthood.{{cite book |editor=Paxton, J.R. |editor2=Eschmeyer, W. N.|author= Banister, Keith F.|year=1998|title=Encyclopedia of Fishes|publisher= Academic Press|location=San Diego|page= 97|isbn= 0-12-547665-5}}
Classification
There are about 31 extant (living) species in four genera.{{FishBase_family|family=Kneriidae|year=2021|month=July}} Phractolaemidae is now regarded as a full family.{{cite book| last1=Eschmeyer | first1=W.N. | author-link=William N. Eschmeyer | last2=Grande | first2=T. | last3=Grande | first3=L. | year=2010 | chapter=A Nomenclatural Analysis of Gonorynchiform Taxa | title=Gonorynchiformes and Ostariophysan Relationships | pages=567–587 | doi=10.1201/b10194-14 | isbn=978-0-429-06156-1 }}{{cite journal| last1=Near | first1=T.J. | last2=Dornburg | first2=A. | last3=Friedman | first3=M. | year=2014 | title=Phylogenetic relationships and timing of diversification in gonorynchiform fishes inferred using nuclear gene DNA sequences (Teleostei: Ostariophysi) | journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume=80 | issue= | pages=297–307 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2014.07.013 | bibcode=2014MolPE..80..297N }}
=Genera=
- Cromeria Boulenger, 1901
- Grasseichthys Géry, 1964
- Kneria Steindachner, 1866
- Parakneria Poll, 1965
In addition, the family includes the genus Mahengichthys Davis, Arratia & Kaiser, 2013, which only is known from Eocene fossil remains and is closer to Kneriinae than Phractolaemidae.{{cite book| last1=Davis | first1=M.P. | last2=Arratia | first2=G. | last3=Kaiser | first3=T.M. | year=2013 | chapter=The first fossil shellear (Gonorynchiformes: Kneriidae) from the Eocene lake of Mahenge (Tanzania) | title=Mesozoic Fishes 5 - Global Diversity and Evolution | pages=325–362 | publisher=F. Pfeil | isbn=978-3-89937-159-8 }}