PlanetCatfish.com

Pictures : Nilanjan


Good to see these gorgeous fish back in the trade. Back in 2009, they were regulars on a few lists along with E.sicula and a few other obscure sisorid catfish like Glyptothorax botius, Pseudolaguvia flavida etc. I would say they are a bit finickier than Pseudolaguvia when it comes to maintenance.

Interesting looking catfish. How big do they get?
Do they like company or are they loners?

I haven't seen any specimens bigger than around 2" TL. As for behaviour, they didn't look like they they were schooling fish nor were they territorial. In the wild, I think they are found in loose groups. HH and Jools have collected Erethistoides sicula from the wild and will be in a better position to explain.

Balaji are there two species of fish there?

No IMO. The black one is female, the reddish one possibly a young male.

The.Dark.One wrote:No IMO. The black one is female, the reddish one possibly a young male.

Also possibly just a dietary thing??? These reddish E.pussilus are found throughout the year.





Pictures : Nilanjan

Shipra stream,Jalpaiguri, West Bengal.

I don't think the colouration is a dietary thing. Of about 7 erethistins I or my friend has kept the reddish ones have been ever present. I think it is sexual.

I was going not on colour but the apparent gap between the dorsal and adipose and the adipose and caudal fin. The dark fish looks to have a larger gap between the fins. Thinking about it though could this be a sexual difference?

The.Dark.One wrote:I don't think the colouration is a dietary thing. Of about 7 erethistins I or my friend has kept the reddish ones have been ever present. I think it is sexual.

Oh ok.

Acid John wrote:I was going not on colour but the apparent gap between the dorsal and adipose and the adipose and caudal fin. The dark fish looks to have a larger gap between the fins.

I have to admit that I didn't look at the pictures closely before posting but as Steve mentioned, this is a good possibility.