Crystal-eyed catfish
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Bagridae
Genus: Hemibagrus
Species:
H. wyckii
Binomial name
Hemibagrus wyckii
(Bleeker, 1858)
Synonyms
  • Bagrus wyckii Bleeker 1858
  • Macrones wyckii (Bleeker, 1858)
  • Mystus wyckii (Bleeker, 1858)

Hemibagrus wyckii is a species of catfish (order Siluriformes) of the family Bagridae. It is occasionally called the crystal-eyed catfish[1] or black devil catfish.

Distribution

This species originates in Asia from Thailand to Indonesia.[2] It is known from the Mekong[3] and Chao Phraya[3] drainages in central Indochina. It is also known from the Batang Hari[3] and Musi River[3] drainages in Sumatra, the Pahang River[3] and Perak River drainage in Peninsular Malaysia, the Citarum[3] drainage in Java, and the Baram,[3] Rejang,[3] Kapuas,[3] and Barito River[3] drainages in Borneo.

Appearance and anatomy

Hemibagrus wyckii are black with a few white markings on the caudal and dorsal fins, and the eyes are sky blue.[4] They reach about 71 centimetres (28 in) SL.[2] The head is extremely depressed and broad. The caudal fin is dark grey. The dorsal fin spine has 10–12 serrations on the posterior edge.[3]

Hemibagrus wyckii bears a resemblance to H. wyckioides, however H. wyckioides lacks serrations on the dorsal fin spine, has a shorter dorsal fin base, and shorter maxillary barbels.[3]

Ecology

Hemibagrus wyckii appears to be restricted in the middle reaches of the large rivers it inhabits.[2] This species feeds on insects, prawns and fishes.[2] These fish are aggressive and can attack animals of their own size; they have been claimed to be the "only freshwater fish unafraid of man".[1][4]

Relationship to humans

This fish is marketed fresh as a food fish.[2] Hemibagrus are aquacultured in Asian countries.[4]

Hemibagrus wyckii and Hemibagrus wyckioides are the two members of this genus imported as aquarium fish.[4] These fish will bite and can damage objects in the aquarium.[1] Due to both its aggressive and its predatory nature, this species should be kept alone.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "PlanetCatfish::Catfish of the Month::December 2002". 2006-08-10. Retrieved 2007-05-18.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2007). "Hemibagrus wyckii" in FishBase. May 2007 version.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Ng, Heok Hee; Rainboth, Walter J. (1999). "The Bagrid Catfish Genus Hemibagrus (Teleostei: Siluriformes) in Central Indochina with a New Species from the Mekong River" (PDF). The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 47 (2): 555–576. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-01-18.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Linder, R. Shane (June 2000). "The Catfishes of Asia Family Bagridae part two" (PDF). Cat Chat. 1 (2). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-08-20.
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