Oryzias is a genus of ricefishes native to fresh and brackish water in east and south Asia. Some species are widespread and the Japanese rice fish (O. latipes) is commonly used in science as a model organism, while others have very small ranges and are threatened. They are small, up to long, and most are relatively plain in colour.
The genus name Oryzias is a reference to the scientific name for rice, Oryza.
They have an unusual reproductive behavior where the female ly (optionally) carries the eggs in a cluster at the pelvic or anal fins for a period after they have been fertilized.
Species
These are the currently recognized species in this genus:
- Oryzias asinua <small>Parenti, Hadiaty, Lumbantobing & Herder, 2013</small>
- Oryzias bonneorum <small>Parenti, 2008</small>
- Oryzias carnaticus <small>Jerdon, 1849</small>
- Oryzias celebensis <small>Weber, 1894</small> (Celebes medaka)
- Oryzias curvinotus <small>Nichols & Pope, 1927</small>
- Oryzias dancena <small>Hamilton, 1822</small>
- Oryzias dopingdopingensis <small>Mandagi, Mokodongan, Tanaka & Yamahira, 2018</small>
- Oryzias eversi <small>Herder, Hadiaty & Nolte, 2012</small>
- Oryzias hadiatyae <small>Herder & Chapuis, 2010</small> (Renny's ricefish)
- Oryzias haugiangensis <small>Roberts, 1998</small>
- Oryzias hubbsi <small>Roberts, 1998</small>
- Oryzias javanicus <small>Bleeker, 1854</small> (Javanese ricefish)
- Oryzias kalimpaaensis <small>Gani, Suhendra, Herder, Schwarzer, Möhring, Montenegro, Herjayanto & Mokodongan, 2022</small>
- Oryzias landangiensis <small>Utama, Mandagi, Lawelle, Masengi, Watanabe, Sawada, Nagano, Kusumi & Yamahira, 2022</small>
- Oryzias latipes <small>Temminck & Schlegel, 1846</small> (Japanese ricefish)
- Oryzias loxolepis <small>Kobayashi, Mokodongan, Horoiwa, Fujimoto, Tanaka, Masengi & Yamahira, 2023</small>
- Oryzias luzonensis <small>Herre & Ablan, 1934</small>
- Oryzias marmoratus <small>Aurich, 1935</small> (Marmorated medaka)
- Oryzias matanensis <small>Aurich, 1935</small> (Matano medaka)
- Oryzias mekongensis <small>Uwa & Magtoon, 1986</small>
- Oryzias melastigma <small>McClelland, 1839</small>
- Oryzias minutillus <small>Smith, 1945</small> (Dwarf medaka)
- Oryzias moramoensis <small>Utama, Mokodongan, Lawelle, Masengi & Yamahira, 2024</small>
- Oryzias nebulosus <small>Parenti & Soeroto, 2004</small>
- Oryzias nigrimas <small>Kottelat, 1990</small> (black buntingi)
- Oryzias orthognathus <small>Kottelat, 1990</small> (Sharp-jawed buntingi)
- Oryzias pectoralis <small>Roberts, 1998</small>
- Oryzias polylepis <small>Möhring, Mokodongan, Gani, Wowor, Annawaty, Böhne & Herder, 2025</small>
- Oryzias profundicola <small>Kottelat, 1990</small> (Yellow finned medaka)
- Oryzias sakaizumii <small>Asai, Senou & Hosoya, 2012</small> (Northern medaka)
- Oryzias sarasinorum <small>Popta, 1905</small> (Sarasins minnow)
- Oryzias setnai <small>Kulkarni, 1940</small> (Malabar ricefish)
- Oryzias sinensis <small>Chen, Uwa & Chu, 1989</small>
- Oryzias soerotoi <small>Mokodongan, Tanaka & Yamahira, 2014</small>
- Oryzias songkhramensis <small>Magtoon, 2010</small>
- Oryzias timorensis <small>Weber & de Beaufort, 1922</small>
- Oryzias uwai <small>Roberts, 1998</small>
- Oryzias wolasi <small>Parenti, Hadiaty, Lumbantobing & Herder, 2013</small>
- Oryzias woworae <small>Parenti & Hadiaty, 2010</small>
References