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he common name of the Asian Fighting Catfish may just tell you a little bit about the nature of this months subject on our Factsheet of the month series for May 2024.

 Olyra longicaudata - with extended upper lobes of the caudal fin

In a few publications the genus Olyra has been placed in its own family Olyridae: sub family Olyrinae. The family was erected by Hora in 1936. Mo (1991) revised the Bagridae family and proposed a new classification for Olyra. He classed on a cladistic pattern focusing on osteological characters. On the basis of his cladogram of the Bagridae family it was found the Olyra is deeply nested within other bagrid genera and as such cannot be retained as a separate family.

 Olyra longicaudata - dorsal view

The background on McClelland who discovered this species tells us that Sir John McClelland (1805–1883) was a British medical doctor with interests in geology and biology, who worked for the East India Company. McClelland was appointed in 1836 as the secretary of the "Coal Committee", the forerunner of the Geological Survey of India (GSI), formed to explore possibilities to exploit Indian coal. He was the first to propose hiring professional geologists for the task. He was also involved in surveys of forests and his reports led to the establishment of the Forest Department in India.

He also served as an interim superintendent of the Calcutta Botanical Garden from 1846 to 1847 and was editor of the Calcutta Journal of Natural History from 1841 to 1847. He also communicated with Charles Darwin with his many letters of correspondence.

Asian Fighting Catfish, Bannertail Catfish

Olyra longicaudatus, Olyra kempi

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Asia: India and Bangladesh. Base of Darjelling Himalaya, Assam, India; Tenassarim, Myanmar. Type locality: Kaysah Mountains.

11.0cm (4½ins)

16-22°C (63-71°F)

Rayed dorsal fin inserted nearer to adipose dorsal fin origin than to tip of snout and without any spine. Adipose fin extending up to about an eye diameter behind last anal fin ray. Pectoral fin not reaching pelvics, spine strong, serrated on both edges. Pelvic fin not reaching anal fin. Anal fin rays increasing in length posteriorly but not reaching caudal fin base. Least height of caudal peduncle 2.2 in its length. Caudal fin lanceolate with central rays elongated.

Olyra are generally known for their unbearable nature towards their conspecifics and fatally injuring each other in the home aquaria. Which is why they are called fighting catfishes. If multiple specimens are to be housed in a single tank they must be provided with ample amount of hiding places and the tank size must be large enough so that separate territories can be established (Mishra, A. 2024). Will fit into a community tank alongside other Asian fish such as the larger species of Danios and Barbs.

Not recorded. Breeding Olyra longicaudata in captivity can be challenging due to the lack of available information.

Not recorded

They are easy to feed as they accept dried pellets easily. But some species or specimens may be unwilling to take dry food at first which can be substituted with live/frozen food and subsequently replaced with dry pellets (Mishra, A. 2024). In its natural habitat it feeds on bethnic organisms from the bottom of the rocky streams.

Adipose fin: Fleshy finlike projection without rays, behind the rayed dorsal fin.
Anal fin: The median, unpaired, ventrally located fin that lies behind the anus, usually on the posterior half of the fish.
Barbels: Whisker-like structure on the heads of most catfish.
Caudal peduncle: The narrow part of a fish's body to which the caudal or tail fin is attached.
Dorsal fin: The primary rayed fin(s) on top of the body.
Lateral line: A sensory line, along the sides of the body.
Pectoral fin: The paired fins just behind the head.
Pelvic fin: The paired fins, between the pectorals and the anal fins (also referred to as ventrals).

Olyra: Etymology not explained, perhaps from Olyra, Greek for a kind of grain (perhaps rye), or Olyra Linneaus 1759, a genus of neotropical grasses, perhaps referring to similarity of some Olyra leaves (pointed at one end) to the pointed tail of O. longicaudata.
longicaudata: longus, long; caudata, tailed, probably referring to the middle rays of the tail “prolonged to a lengthened point.

Photo Credits

© Abhisek Mishra
© Mostafa Hossain