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Mystus armatus (Day, 1865)

Image contributors to this species:

Dr. Mathews Plamoottil (1)

ScotCat Sources:

Other Sources:

Relevant Information:

Habitat: Lives in clear water in swift flowing hill streams with beds of rocks and boulders. Hides below rocks and boulders. Diet: Consumes benthos and aquatic insects. Etymology: The genus name Mystus: "Mystax" meaning whiskered (hair on the upper lip) Mystus was first used by Belon in 1553 to describe all fish with whiskers. The specific name armatus: Latin for armed with a weapon, referring to its serrated to pectoral-fin spines, which inflict “much dreaded” wounds.

Common Name:

Kerala Mystus

Synonyms:

Macrones armatus, Aoria armatus, Hypselobagrus armatus

Family:

Bagridae

Distribution:

South Asia: Wynaad range of hills, Western Ghats and Nagaland in India, lower Myanmar and the upper Sylhet hills of Bangladesh.

Size:

14.5cm (5¾ins)

Temp:

22-27°C (71-81°F)

p.H.

6.0-7.0.

IUCN Red List

Mystus armatus is assessed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large overall population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a threatened category (Needs updating IUCN 2011).

Reference:

Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh. Vol.23. Freshwater Fishes. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. 300p.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, ( 04/2025 ).
Shaji, C.P. 2011. Mystus armatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011.
Talwar, P.K. and A.G. Jhingran, 1991. Inland fishes of India and adjacent countries. Volume 2. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, i-xxii + 543-1158, 1 pl.
The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database © Christopher Scharpf.

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

Mystus armatus
Trichur-India

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