Three unknowns

coelacanth · Post by **coelacanth** » 18 Sep 2004, 19:18

Hi all, just been to BAS here in Bolton, Andy showed me some oddities mixed in with some of the little Wasp Akysis (I think that's what they were). First thing I picked out was another little Akysid (I think), but possibly an Acrochordonichthys or similar (basically, it looks like a tiny Banjo Cat with a pale stripe along the dorsum from the back of the dorsal to the tail). I've seen one before, can't remember where.
Next, there were some little cute grey-blue jobs, they swim like little Tatia, but on stopping they look like a cross between an Olyra and a Pseudomystus, with a regular pattern of white spots along the flanks and an extended upper caudal lobe.
The last thing was a single odd Pseudomystus, not at all sure what it is. Nothing spectacular to look at, nice enough pattern.
Now I know that this doesn't give anyone much to go off for ID, but if anyone wants to pick them up at the show tomorrow in order to get pictures and try to ID them, you can have them for the tiny sum I paid for them.
I just didn't want them to vanish without being seen by anyone, so I grabbed them while they were there. If anyone wanted to get a group together of any of these, there are a few more of the Acro-oids, plenty more of the Olyra/Pseudo wotsits, and there may be more of the Pseudomystus.
Get back to me by phone, PM, e-mail, or whatever, I'll be in work until mid-day tomorrow.
Pete

Post by **Silurus** » 18 Sep 2004, 20:19

some little cute grey-blue jobs

Sounds like some kind of schilbeid.

coelacanth · Post by **coelacanth** » 19 Sep 2004, 09:56

Silurus wrote:Sounds like some kind of schilbeid.

I don't think my description was very good. I've had a troll through the images, and their body shape is very similar to Nanobagrus. If you think of a Nanobagrus, with an extended upper caudal lobe, and a pattern like a tiny Auchenipterichthys (now I'm really confusing the picture!), you have this fish.

Post by **Silurus** » 19 Sep 2004, 11:33

Except for the gray-blue part, your second description would fit Nanobagrus stellatus to a T (N. stellatus is brown).

coelacanth · Post by **coelacanth** » 19 Sep 2004, 13:54

Silurus wrote:Except for the gray-blue part, your second description would fit Nanobagrus stellatus to a T (N. stellatus is brown).

OK, it looks like we have a colour form of N. stellatus, or a new species. That outline is as close to a perfect match as I can imagine.

coelacanth · Post by **coelacanth** » 19 Sep 2004, 20:41

On bagging them up to take to the show, and having a closer look, they had turned a dark brown colour, so it looks they they were just showing a darkened stress pigmentation when I first saw them (I housed them overnight amongst some fine leaf litter, which really seemed to settle them down.
So, it would appear that N. stellatus is the beast in question.
They are now in the able hands of Medaka the Moderator, as his recent success rate with small Asian Catfish makes me think he is the best person to care for them, and with a few more this should make for a decent sized group for observation.

Post by **Silurus** » 19 Sep 2004, 21:18

I have kept a small group of Nanobagrus stellatus before myself and I think they are probably the most under-appreciated of all the small Asian cats. Great fish for a species tank, or with a community of like-sized Asian fishes (such as Boraras).

It would seem that the shipment came from Sumatra, no? In which case, the Pseudomystus might be P. ellenriederi, the Akysis A. heterurus, and the banjo-like thing either Acrochordonichthys or maybe even (dare I hope) Breitensteinia.