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Akysis heterurus Ng, 1996

Image contributors to this species:

Allan James (3)

ScotCat Sources:

Other Sources:

Relevant Information:

Imported into the U.K. under the name of Parakysis verrucosus. Akysid catfishes are known from across a large area of Southeast Asia. Roberts (1989) described them as small to minute fishes with cryptic colouration, tiny eyes, and completely covered with unculiferous plaques or tubercles. In some genera some of the tublercles on the body are enlarged and arranged in distinctive longitudinal rows, the number of which may be diagnostic. Among akysids, fishes of the genus Akysis are very small, cryptically coloured species generally found in fast-flowing streams with a sandy or rocky bottom and, until recently they have been poorly studied, mainly due to the paucity of material in museum collections. 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 heterurus: heteros, different; oura, tail, referring to truncate (vs. forked) caudal fin, “distinctly different” from its congeners.

Common Name:

None

Synonyms:

None

Family:

Akysidae

Distribution:

Asia: Batang Hari River basin, eastern Sumatra. Type locality: Sumatra: Jambi, Sg. Alai at 19.5 km Muara Bungo-Muara Tebo road.

Size:

5.0-6.0cm (2-2½ins)

Temp:

18-22°C (63-71°F)

p.H.

6.5-7.5.

Reference:

Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2007. Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa 1418:1-628.
Ng, H.H. and Siebert D.J. A new species of the catfish genus Akysis (Siluriformes: Akysidae) from southern Borneo. Zootaxa 733: 1–8 (2004).
The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database © Christopher Scharpf.

Family: Akysidae Back to Ident-A-Cat Click on Thumbnails

Akysis heterurus

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