Glass Catfish

Indian Glass catfish ( Kryptopterus vitreolus )

The Indian Glass Catfish ( Kryptopterus vitreolus ) is a Southeast Asian representative of the Real catfish ( Siluridae ). The species is introduced for aquaristic purposes since the 1934, and has been identified as Kryptopterus bicirrhis or Kryptopterus minor. It was not until the beginning of 2013 saw the Swiss ichthyologist Maurice Kottelat and his Singaporean counterpart Ng Heok Hee, that it was a previously undescribed species and described the fish in the journal Zootaxa under the name Kryptopterus vitreolus. The Style epithet vitreolus derives from the Latin " vitreous ", which means glass or glasses.

Dissemination

Kryptopterus vitreolus comes in rivers and streams present in a relatively small area in southeastern Thailand and on the Thai part of the Malay Peninsula, which flow into the Gulf of Thailand. The type locality is situated in the district of Amphoe Khao Saming in Trat province.

Features

Kryptopterus vitreolus is 5.5 to 5.6 cm long and differs from its relatives mainly by its almost completely transparent body. The body is slender and laterally strongly flattened. At the level of the anus, the body height is 16 to 20 % of the standard length. The caudal peduncle has a height of 4 to 7% of standard length. The profile of the body upper side has a pronounced curvature of the neck. The muzzle has a length of 29 to 35% of head length, eye diameter is 28 to 34 % of head length. The Maxillarebarteln extend to about the beginning of the anal fin. On the first branchial arch are found 14 to 18 gill Reuse rays. The long anal fin is supported 48-55 fin rays. The animals feed on zooplankton and other small invertebrates.

Endangering

Since the species has never bred commercially, the game catches for aquaristic purposes are relatively high and the distribution area is relatively small, the species is potentially at risk.