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Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences (1) Liu Guangyu (1)

Description: The body is relatively stout. The mouth is terminal; the tip of the snout is not in front of the lower jaw, or only slightly in front of the lower jaw. There is a space between the anterior nostril and the base of the nasal barbel that is about equal to the diameter of the anterior nostril. The anterior and posterior nostrils are relatively small (with a diameter less than that of the eye), and the anterior nostril is located at the end of a short tube. The caudal fin is emarginate or truncate. Habitat: Likes to live in clear pools with gravel bottom and usually swims in the current under rocks or beneath floating weeds to search for food. Aquarium Care: Akysis are easy to keep for any decent fishkeeper. You can keep in small tanks (30cm wide x 20cm high x 30cm deep) with a sand bottom, small pipes, and caves. They will either bury themselves in the sand or hide in caves and pipes. They are not usually active during the day but will spring to action and eat voraciously and crazily if food is put in the tank. Diet: They will eat bloodworm, chopped earthworms, whiteworm, daphnia, and sinking pellets (although they seem to prefer live or frozen food). Etymology: The genus name Akysis: A = without; kysis = bladder, in reference to the lack of a swimbladder. The specific name brachybarbatus: brachýs, short; barbatus (L.), bearded, referring to shorter nasal barbels compared with the similar A. maculipinnis. Remarks: This species is native to the lower Lancang Jiang basin in Menglian County and Mengla County, Yunnan. It has a relatively widespread extent of occurrence (EOO) of 33,874 km2, but a restricted area of occupancy (AOO) of 640 km2 due to its particular habitat preference. Its habitat is in continuing decline as a result of siltation caused by deforestation and associated erosion. There are 4-6 locations based on this threat. Therefore, this species is assessed as Vulnerable (IUCN 2023).

Tuberculate catfish

None

Akysidae

Asia: Southeast Asia: Lancangjiang [Mekong] River (Yunnan/China). Type Locality: Nanrui River, Mekong River Manglian Co., Yunnan, China.

3.5cm (1½ins)

18-24°C (63-75°F)

6.5-7.5.

Cao, L. & Chen, X.-Y. 2023. Akysis brachybarbatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2023.
Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2007. Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa 1418:1-628.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2019. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, ( 12/2019 ).
iNaturalist 2024.
Ng, H.H. and M. Kottelat, 1998. The catfish genus Akysis Bleeker (Teleostei: Akysidae) in Indochina, with descriptions of six new species. J. Nat. Hist. 32:1057-1097.
The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database © Christopher Scharpf.