Aquarist Atlas
Barbs · Asian barbs

Parachela oxygastroides

(Bleeker, 1852)

Glass fish

Full synonymy (9)
  • Chela megalolepis Günther 1868 · junior synonym
  • Chela pointoni Fowler 1934 · junior synonym
  • Chela siamensis Günther 1868 · junior synonym
  • Leuciscus oxygastroides Bleeker 1852 · original combination
  • Oxygaster brachysoma Bănărescu 1971 · junior synonym
  • Oxygaster oxygastroides (Bleeker 1852) · earlier combination
  • Oxygaster pointoni (Fowler 1934) · junior synonym
  • Parachela pointoni (Fowler 1934) · junior synonym
  • Parachela siamensis (Günther 1868) · junior synonym

Source: Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes (Fricke, Eschmeyer & Van der Laan, eds.), California Academy of Sciences.

3 cited sourcesName checked against Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes, update of

IUCNLEAST CONCERN · 2020
CARESNOT LISTED
Type localityKusan River, Prabukarta, southeastern Borneo; Mussi River, Palembang, southeastern Sumatra; Jakarta, Java, Indonesiaper Catalog of Fishes
Scientific size8 in20 cm standard length
Temperature75–79 °F24–26 °C
Depth—not recorded
DietNot described in the FishBase summary.
BreedingNot recorded
Sexual dimorphismNot documentedNot recorded in available sources
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

Parachela oxygastroides is a slim, silvery surface-to-midwater cyprinid of Southeast Asia that reaches 8 in SL according to FishBase. Bleeker described it in 1852, and FishBase gives the English name glass fish.

What's in the name

Parachela
  • paraGreek — near, beside
  • ChelaLatin genus name — a related cyprinid genus
oxygastroides
  • OxygasterGreek genus name — from oxys, sharp, and gaster, belly
  • -oidesGreek — resembling

Taxonomy & naming

Bleeker described the species in 1852. The Catalog of Fishes gives three localities in the original description: the Kusan River in southeastern Borneo, the Musi River near Palembang in southeastern Sumatra, and Jakarta on Java. It was first placed in another genus, so the authority is in parentheses under Parachela. The family is Xenocyprididae in the current Catalog of Fishes arrangement.

Morphology

A laterally compressed, silvery, translucent-looking cyprinid with a keeled belly, as the name suggests. FishBase gives a maximum of 8 in SL for males and unsexed fish.

Habitat

FishBase lists Indochina and Thailand to Borneo and Java. It describes the species as pelagic and potamodromous, moving within river systems.

Feeding

Diet is not described in the FishBase summary.

Mating

Mating behaviour is not described.

Breeding

Reproduction is not described, and no captive spawning has been documented.

In the aquarium

FishBase gives 75–79 °F and no pH or hardness range. A free-swimming, open-water fish of up to 8 in needs a long tank with a tight lid and a group of its own kind. FishBase marks it as commercially used.

Conservation

The IUCN Red List category is Least Concern, assessed on 10 April 2020. Specific threats are not described.

Common questions

Glass fish (Parachela oxygastroides): how big does it get?
Up to 8 in standard length (SL).
Glass fish (Parachela oxygastroides): what water temperature does it need?
The atlas records 75–79 °F for this species.
Glass fish (Parachela oxygastroides): where does it come from?
It is recorded from Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Also from the Mekong and Chao Phraya basins

Sources

  1. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes — Parachela oxygastroides (Bleeker, 1852)
  2. FishBase — Parachela oxygastroides
  3. IUCN Red List — Parachela oxygastroides

Naming authority: Parachela oxygastroides in Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes ↗

Last reviewed 2026-10-05.

How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Parachela oxygastroides. Aquarist Atlas.https://www.aquaristatlas.com/barbs/parachela-oxygastroides/

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Where it has been recorded

80 georeferenced records (GBIF). Each point is a field observation or museum specimen — pan and zoom to explore where this species turns up. The coordinates come straight from GBIF and are often rounded or tied to the nearest town or river landing, so a dot can sit just beside the actual water rather than in it.

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