PlanetCatfish.com - Horabagrus brachysoma (Horabagridae) Cat-eLog

Lateral view - juvenile
Adult
Lateral view - adult
Fry
Adult
Habitat: Vembanad Lake, Kerala

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Horabagrus brachysoma** (Günther, 1864)
Common Names	Eclipse Catfish Bullseye Catfish, Mondfinsternis-Stachelwels (Germany), Solar Catfish, Sun Catfish
Type Locality	Cochinchine [? southern Vietnam or Cochin].
Synonym(s)	Horabagrus melanosoma, Macrones chryseus, Mystus chryseus, Pseudobagrus brachysoma, Pseudobagrus chryseus
Pronunciation	HOE ra BAG russ - brack ee SO mah
Etymology	Horabagrus: Named after SL Hora, the Indian ichthyologist, and bagrus, the name of a catfish genus frequently used to form generic names.
Articles	- CotM 2012 November
Species Information
Size	450mm or 17.7" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	Young fish are similar to H. nigricollaris particularly if unsettled. In H. nigricollaris the black collar stripe extends from mid-body around to the top of the fishes head, whereas in H. brachysoma it remains a distinct spot. Baensch reports the maximum length as 130mm. Imports have been recorded larger than this size and the maximum size given elsewhere in hobby literature is 450mm.
Sexing	Females can be identified by their big, soft and distended belly with a swollen and reddish-pink vent and males by their reddish genital opening.
Habitat Information
Distribution	Asia: Kerala, India. Indian waters, Kerala State Waters (click on these areas to find other species found there) Indian waters, Maharashtra State Waters (click on these areas to find other species found there) Indian waters, Karnataka State Waters (click on these areas to find other species found there) Indian waters, Western Ghats Waters (click on these areas to find other species found there) Login to view the map.
IUCN Red List Category	Vulnerable , range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2010.
pH	6.0 - 7.5
Temperature	23.0-25.0°C or 73.4-77°F (Show species within this range)
Husbandry Information
Feeding	An easy fish to feed. All prepared and frozen foods are greedily taken. User data.
Furniture	A light shy catfish which will only be venture forth during the day in dimly lit tanks. Caves (or lots of plants for smaller individuals) are required.
Compatibility	Peaceful with other and it's own species. Not to be trusted with smaller fish though.
Breeding	Unknown.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	Catalogue of the fishes in the British Museum v. 5, pp 86.
Registered Keepers	There are 107 registered keepers, view all "my cats" data.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There are 3 wishes to keep this species, see who wants what.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 23 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
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	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.39.21.159
Last Update	2025 Jan 02 01:36 (species record created: 2001 Apr 17 00:00)