Pseudomystus
siamensis Regan, 1913 |
his Bagrid has been a mainstay of the catfish hobby in the U.K.
for many years now and you can still purchase them under the older
genus name of Leiocassis the name that most aquarists will
be more familiar with, so if you are looking for more info on
this species in books, Leiocassis will do for a start.
Pseudomystus was actually a subgenus of Leiocassis
which K.C.Jayaram had placed siamensis in, in 1968, but
is now a full genus name.
Below is the comparisons made by Jayaram
taken from "The Atlas of Freshwater and Marine Catfishes"
by Dr.Warren E.Burgess.
1a. Snout angular and produced beyond the inferior mouth;
snout length greater
than interorbital width..........Leiocassis.
1b. Snout rounded or obtuse, not produced beyond the subterminal
mouth; snout length equal to or less than interorbital width..........Pseudomystus.
It sometimes gets sold as Pseudomystus
stenomus (again known in shops as Leiocassis) in
some aquatic outlets but the colouration is different (stenomus
does not sport banding in the body) and siamensis grows
larger and is more predatory towards smaller tankmates. It is
known under its common name of the "Asian Bumblebee Catfish",
it is nocturnal and can be territorial with others and its own
kind and will prowl the tank after lights out, so I would definitely
not house them with smaller fish as they will view them as a snack!.
They can also nip the fins of larger species, so keep well fed
with a feeding after lights out to curb this aggression, but in
saying that they are a favourite fish with myself and other catfish
enthusiasts and it is worthwhile to find a niche in your (larger)
community tank for this species. It is very hardy in a aquarium
setting relating to water temperature and p.H. having a tolerance
to a wide spectrum of water conditions, but of course not as extreme
as to cause stress.
Stamp of Thailand showing
this species |
Found in Rivers and streams of the Mekong and Chao Phrya basins
along with the rivers that empty into the Gulf of Thailand.
Dorsal spines (total): 1-1; Dorsal softrays
(total): 7-7; Anal soft-rays: 16-17. short barbels (maxillary barbels
not reaching base of pectoral spine); body depth at dorsal-fin origin
larger than head width; a high, rounded adipose fin.
Irregular vertical bars on a yellowish to
dark grey background (sometime plain dark body); hyaline caudal
fin with or without a single black blotch on each caudal lobe.
Can be kept in a community tank but would
watch if housing an adult with smaller Characins or Livebearers
as they could be picked of at night when it starts cruising the
tank. They can also nip the fins of
larger species, so keep well fed with a feeding after lights out
to curb this aggression.
Not reported but would appear to be a substrate
spawner laying its eggs in tangled roots in the wild, I guess the
p.H.would need to be on the acid side for any success with this
species. There is a fleshy appendage in front of the anal fin that
would indicate sexual dimorphism which has been noticed in other
Bagrids.
In its native habitat it feeds on aquatic
insect larvae including odonatans. A wide variety of foods can be
given in the aquarium as this species is not fussy as long as it
is fed, preferably after lights out. If you know where it hides
out during the day you can drop tablet food, frozen food etc.into
its resting place underneath stones/slates or bogwood.
Burgess,
W.E., 1989 An Atlas of Freshwater and Marine catfishes:
a preliminary survey of the Siluriformes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune
City, New Jersey
Baench.: Aquarium Atlas 2
Linder, Shane: Catfish Mailing List 1998.
Rainboth, Walter J: Fishes of the Cambodian Mekong FAO
Fishbase at
www.fishbase.org
 |
Thailand: Bangpakong
River
