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
Baensch, H.A. and R. Riehl 1985 Aquarien atlas. Band 2. Mergus,
Verlag für Natur- und Heimtierkunde GmbH, Melle, Germany. 1216
p.
Linder, Shane: Catfish Mailing List 1998.
Rainboth, W.J. 1996 Fishes of the
Cambodian Mekong. FAO Species Identification Field Guide for Fishery
Purposes. FAO, Rome, 265 p.
Fishbase at
www.fishbase.org
© Ian Fuller @
|
Thailand: Mekong
and Chao Phraya River basins and peninsular Thailand. Type
locality: Bangpakong River, Siam.
