Zebrafish

Danio rerio
An adult female zebrafish
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Danionidae
Subfamily: Danioninae
Genus: Danio
Species:
D. rerio
Binomial name
Danio rerio
(F. Hamilton, 1822)
Synonyms
  • Cyprinus rerio Hamilton, 1822
  • Brachydanio rerio (Hamilton 1822)
  • Cyprinus chapalio Hamilton, 1822
  • Perilampus striatus McClelland, 1839
  • Danio lineatus Day, 1868
  • Brachydanio frankei Meinken, 1963
  • Danio horai Barman, 1983

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Danionidae of the order Cypriniformes. Native to South Asia, it is a popular aquarium fish, frequently sold under the trade name zebra danio (and thus often called a "tropical fish" although it is both tropical and subtropical).

The zebrafish is an important and widely used vertebrate model organism in scientific research, particularly developmental biology, but also gene function, oncology, teratology, and drug development, in particular pre-clinical development. It is also notable for its regenerative abilities, and has been modified by researchers to produce many transgenic strains.