It's been a while..

Oh no!

But, still fishing.. For a new exciting project.
(I wonder, who will be coming here?)

Seronok panjat bukit in 4-wheels, tak sedar tayar dah rabakkk.. lucky no bad things happened. sampling cancelled, balik makan.. kekekee..

Oh! My...

November 2014? Already? But.. But...

Yeap.. Time's running out..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuqYzm_hkVE

Notes on Clarias Scopoli 1777 (Pisces: Siluriformes, Clariidae) in Peninsular Malaysia

[incomplete diagram - redrawn from various sources (for personal used only)]

Clariidae or walking catfishes naturally occur in Africa, Minor Asia, the Indian subcontinent and East and Southeast Asia. In Asia, only three genera are known (Teugels et al., 2001) but Nelson (2004) only mentioned two genera, vis. Encheloclarias and Clarias which is the most diverse with some 18 species presently recognised as valid (Ferraris, 2007). Many of the species are of great economical importance in both fisheries and aquaculture. The taxonomy of the Asian Clarias is only recently well established.

The genus Clarias is a group of fish commonly known as walking catfishes, an air-breathing fish naturally found in inland waters bodies throughout much of the Old World. They are easily identified by an anguilliform body, long-based dorsal and anal-fins, head dorsoly depressed, a broad terminal mouth with four pairs of barbels, eyes with free orbital margin and located dorsolaterally, large and well-developed neurocranium and the presence of an accessory breathing organ comprised of modified gill arches. The diversity of the clariid catfishes of Southeast Asia have increased tremendously in the past few years. Although most of Clarias diversity is found in Africa (Teugels, 1986), at least 18 species which are currently considered valid are known from Southeast Asia.

At least seven species of clariid catfishes, vis. Clarias batrachus (Linnaeus, 1758), Clarias batu Lim & Ng, 1999, Clarias leiacanthus Bleeker, 1851, Clarias macrocephalus Gunther 1864, Clarias meladerma Bleeker, 1846, Clarias nieuhofii Valenciennes, 1840 and Clarias sulcutus Ng, 2004 thrived naturally in inland waters including in islands around Peninsular Malaysia. Of the seven species, Clarias batu and Clarias sulcutus were only found in Pulau Tioman and Pulau Redang, respectively and the rest have a natural distribution throughout the country. Ng (1999) erected three artificial species-group of Southeast Asian Clarias; (i) short body with 60-76 dorsal-fin rays and an extremely short distance between the tip of the occipital process and the origin of the first dorsal-fin ray, (ii) short body, with 62-74 dorsal-fin rays but a longer distance between the tip of the occipital process ant the base of the origin of the first dorsal-fin ray than the first group, and (iii) long and slender body with 87-106 dorsal-fin rays with distance between the tip of occipital process to the origin of the first dorsal-fin ray similar to the second group. Walking catfishes of Peninsular Malaysia that falls in the first group are C. batrachus, C. macrocephalus, C. meladerma and C. sulcutus. The second group includes C. batu and C. lieacanthus while the third group consists of C. nieuhofii.

Two species of the walking catfishes, vis. C. batu and C. sulcutus are islands’ endemic, thus catfish species that found on the mainland of Peninsular Malaysia, i.e. C. batrachus, can be distinguished from the other species (C. leiacanthus, C. meladerma and C. nieuhofii) by using the diagnostic characters of C. batrachus – narrow snout, in dorsal view with straight lateral outline and convex anteriorly, 63-74 dorsal-fin rays (vs. 82-108 in C. nieuhofii), distance between occipital process and origin of dorsal-fin relatively long (5.5-8.9% SL vs. 1.2-5.6% SL in C. macrocephalus, C. meladerma), frontal fontanelle long and thin (vs. short and squat in C. leiacanthus and C. nieuhofii), anterior margin of pectoral spine rugose and with irregular bumps (vs. with distinct serrations in C. meladerma). Other non-diagnostic characters: tip of supraoccipital process rounded, with narrow base (vs. base slightly wider in C. leiacanthus), distance from base to tip is slightly bigger in C. batrachus (vs. a bit smaller in C. leiacanthus and C. neiuhofii).

According to Ng & Kottelat (2008), C. batrachus is only known to river drainages in Java and records of other C. batrachus from mainland Southeast Asia and the rest of Sundaic Southeast Asia are probably to refer to two separate, undescribed species. The Malay peninsula and Borneo (identified by the authors as C. aff. batrachus ‘Sundaland’) which is not considered conspecific with the Javanese materials because the C. batrachus ‘Sundaland’ population have wider frontal fontanelle than those from Java. For now, the material from Peninsular Malaysia is referred as C. batrachus in its widest sense until its true identity is resolved.

Notes on Hemibagrus in Peninsular Malaysia

Fishes that was previously reported as Mystus Scopoli was redefined by Mo (1991), and as a result, most of the large-sized bagrid catfishes that attain standard lengths of up to 800 mm (Ng et al., 2000) have been transferred to the genus Hemibagrus Bleeker. The genus Hemibagrus has been re-diagnosed by Mo (1991) by having a depressed head with a thin, plate-like metopterygoid. This taxon was established by P. Bleeker in 1862 to include species with depressed heads, rugose (ridged or wrinkled) head shields not covered by skin, slender occipital process, and moderately long adipose fins is known from Southeast Asia, Indo-China and southern China (Mo, 1991).

To date, at least five species of Hemibagrus known to Peninsular Malaysia viz. H. gracilis Ng & Ng, H. hoevenii (Bleeker), H. johorensis (Herre), H. nemurus (Valenciennes) and H. wyckii (Bleeker) (see Ferraris, 2007). Previously, Lim & Tan (2002) listed only four species, i.e. H. bleekeri (Volz), H. gracilis, H. hoevenii and H. wyckii.

Several authors reported the presence of H. bleekeri in Peninsular Malaysia (see Ng & Ng, 1995; Lim & Tan, 2002) but as already been noted by Tan & Ng (2000), the type specimen of the fish, i.e. Macrones bleekeri Volz 1903, however, is a primary junior homonym of Macrones bleekeri Day, 1877, a species belonging to Mystus s. str. Thus, the species previously known as “Hemibagrus bleekeri” in Peninsular Malaysia could be referred to H. johorensis or the more widely known species, H. nemurus.

Hemibagrus johorensis (Herre, 1940)

Type: Mystus johorensis Herre, 1940. Type locality: Sungai Kayu, 16 miles north of Kota Tinggi, Johor, Malaysia. Holotype: SU 33026.

Distribution: Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra.


Hemibagrus nemurus (Valenciennes, in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1840)

Type: Bagrus nemurus Valenciennes, in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1840. Type locality: Java. Holotype: Possibly RMNH 269 (not found) or at MNHN.

Type: Mystus pahangensis Herre, 1940: 14, pl. 9. Type locality: Sungai Garam, near Karak, Pahang, Malaysia. Holotype: SU 33025.

Distribution: Java and likely in river basins of neighbouring regions.

Remarks: Ferraris (2007) noted that the name of “Hemibagrus nemurus” has been applied to populations that have been subsequently determined to belong to distinct species. Dodson et al. (1995) studied the mitochondrial DNA of this species but phylogeographic structure was still unstable. The geographic limits of Hemibagrus nemurus still have not been clearly stated (Ferraris, 2007).

Supplementary. Notes on the genus Mystus Scopoli

Members of the genus Mystus are small- to medium-sized catfishes inhabiting streams, lakes and rivers of southern and southestern Asia, with 32 valid species in the group (Ferraris, 2007). The phylogenetic relationships within the genus also remain poorly understood, although the paraphyly of the group has recently been demonstrated (Hardman, 2005).
Molecular evidence presented by Hardman (2005) indicates that the group is paraphyletic.
Hardman (2005) recovered taxa currently assigned to Mystus in three lineages.

p.s. more to come on Mystus in Peninsular Malaysia

p.s.s. I don't have key to ID this fish but you can refer to published materials (some I have!)

Loaches in families under superfamily Cobitidea

Positions of fishes commonly known as loaches in families under superfamily Cobitidea (Teleostei: Cypriniformes)

Nelson (2006) divided Order Cypriniformes into two superfamilies following Siebert (1987): the Cobitoidea (loaches and allies) and the Cyprinoidea (barbs, carps, minnows and allies). Traditionally, three distinct groupings within the superfamily have been recognized, including the Gyrinocheilidae (algae eaters), Catostomidae (suckers) and the most diverse group, the loaches (Cobitidae and Balitoridae) (Nelson, 2006). In Peninsular Malaysia, loaches formed a relatively large group of fishes – at least 18 species under the family Balitoridae and 22 species under the family Cobitidae. Recently, several researchers had successfully producing a phylogenetic classification of fishes within the Cobitoidea using molecular data. Evidence from various studies pointing toward supporting eight cobitoid families: Gyrinocheilidae, Catostomidae, Cobitidae, Botiidae (formerly included in Cobitidae), Balitoridae, Nemacheilidae (formerly included in Balitoridae) and Vaillantellidae and Ellopostomatidae.

At least six of the eight families under the superfamily Cobitidea found in Malay peninsula, and Peninsular Malaysia has at least five families: Cobitidae (19 species), Botiidae (3 species), Balitoridae (14 species), Nemacheilidae (2 species) and Vaillantellidae (2 species). Family Ellopostomatidae currently has two species; Ellopostoma megalomycter and E. mystax, of which the latter species was reported and probably endemic in southern Thailand but its member is yet to be recorded in Peninsular Malaysia. The former is found in Borneo but was thought to be found in Malay peninsular by several authors. Ellopostoma megalomycter was not included in the checklist of freshwater fishes in Peninsular Malaysia compiled by Lim and Tan (2002).

List of fishes under superfamily Cobitidea in Peninsular Malaysia.

1. Family Balitoridae (14 species): Acanthocobitis zonalternans, Barbucca diabolica, Homaloptera leonardi, H. nebulosa, H. nigra, H. ogilviei, H. parclitella, H. smithii, H. tweediei, H. zollingeri, Neohomaloptera johorensis, Schistura robertsi, Sundareonectes tiomanensis and Tuberoschistura baenzigeri

2. Family Botiidae (3 species): Syncrossus beauforti, S. hymenophysa and Yasuhikotakia morleti

3. Family Cobitidae (19 species): Acanthopsoides molobrion, Acantopsis dialuzona, Lepidocephalichthys furcatus, L. hasseltii, L. tomaculum, Lepidocephalus macrochir, Kottelatlimia katik, K. pristis, Pangio alcoides, P. anguillaris, P. cuneovirgata, P. doriae, P. filinaris, P. malayana, P. muraeniformes, P. oblonga, P. piperata, P. semicincta and P. shelfordii

4. Family Nemacheilidae (2 species): Nemacheilus masyae and N. selangoricus

5. Family Vaillantellidae (2 species): Vaillantella eupiptera and V. maassi

Note. Transcribed from unpub. manuscript (A. Ahmad. Positions of fishes commonly known as loaches under superfamily Cobitidea (Teleostei: Cypriniformes) in Peninsular Malaysia with notes on fish status, species endemism and zoogeography)

Genus Paedocypris is now in a new family

Fishes from the genus Paedocypris which contained the world’s smallest free living vertebrate is now (or, rather “will be” soon) placed in the new family, Paedocyprinidae. Previously, the three known fishes were placed in family Cyprinidae, has recently being removed to a newly created family. More on the family Paedocyprinidae can be read from “Mayden, R.L., Chen, W-J., The world’s smallest vertebrate species of the Genus Paedocypris: A new family of freshwater fishes and the sister group to the world’s most diverse clade of freshwater fishes (Teleostei: Cypriniformes), Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution (2010), doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2010.04.008”