PlanetCatfish.com - Mystus leucophasis (Bagridae) Cat-eLog

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Mystus leucophasis** (Blyth, 1860)
Common Names	Asian Upside-down Catfish Burmese Upside-down Catfish, Großer Asiatischer Rückenschwimmender Erls (Germany), Sittang Mystus
Type Locality	Sitang and other Myanmar rivers.
Synonym(s)	Bagrus leucophasis, Macrones leucophasis
Pronunciation	miss tuss - loo koe fas iss
Etymology	The generic name is probably derived from the Latin mystax, meaning moustache, in reference to the long barbels. It was first used by Scopoli in 1777 making it a very old genus that has included many catfishes from throughout the world at one time or another.
Articles	- CotM 2000 March
Species Information
Size	230mm or 9.1" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	Fishes of the genus Mystus Scopoli are small to medium-sized bagrid catfishes occurring in South Asia. Roberts (1994) recognized Mystus to have an elongate cranial fontanel reaching up to the base of the occipital process, long maxillary barbel, very long adipose fin, 11–30 gill rakers on the first gill arch and 37–46 total vertebrae, about equally divided between abdominal and caudal regions. He included only eight species under the genus. Mo (1991) characterized the genus to have a thin needle-like first infraorbital, twisted and thickened metapterygoid loosely attached to the quadrate by means of ligament or a small extent of cartilage. Jayaram & Sanyal (2003) and Ferraris (2007) respectively listed 44 and 33 species of Mystus as valid. A truly inverting catfish. All black with a handful of diamond flecks along the flanks of sub-adult or older fish.
Sexing	Males possess an elongate genital papilla which is located just fore of the anal fin and is quite predominant. Males also are thinner in the body and shorter in length at adult size (this is true of most Bagrids). Females are longer and heavier bodied.
General Remarks	Often described as a smaller species, it can commonly reach lengths of 20cm SL or more.
Habitat Information
Distribution	Asia: Myanmar. Myanmar Waters (click on these areas to find other species found there) Myanmar Waters, Sittang (click on these areas to find other species found there) Login to view the map.
IUCN Red List Category	Least Concern , range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2009.
pH	6.0 - 8.0
Temperature	23.0-27.0°C or 73.4-80.6°F (Show species within this range)
Other Parameters	Water parameters are generally unimportant for the species. Ideally the water would be neutral and soft. A good current is recommendable.
Husbandry Information
Feeding	Not a fussy feeder - all prepared foods are taken. User data.
Furniture	PVC pipe sections, one per fish, are required. These are preferred over, for example, flower pots and the like.
Compatibility	Not to be kept with small fish (i.e. anything less than three fourths the size of the catfish) will be quickly eaten.
Suggested Tankmates	Boisterous cichlids (even Mbuna) and larger Loricariids are the best choice although some of the larger Cyprinids (Tinfoil barbs for example) are also possible. Avoid slow moving fish.
Breeding	Unreported in the home aquarium, although (as the images above show) is mass breed by commercial breeders.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal v. 29 (no. 2), pp 148.
Registered Keepers	There are 70 registered keepers, view all "my cats" data.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There are 4 wishes to keep this species, see who wants what.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 15 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
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	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.8.14.21
Last Update	2025 Jan 02 01:37 (species record created: 2001 Apr 21 00:00)