Photo: R.workoran, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Bornean leaffish
Nandus nebulosus
10 cm
Adult size
200 L
Minimum volume
1
Minimum group
10 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Nandus
- Diet
- carnivore
- Social life
- solitary
In the wild
Overview
Described in 1835 by the British zoologist John Edward Gray, this leaffish belongs to the small family Nandidae. Marbled brown, with a deep, compressed body, it looks just like a dead leaf floating in the water, hence its name.
Its highly protrusible mouth, which shoots forward like a tube, lets it suck in prey in a fraction of a second. It measures about ten centimetres.
- Scientific name
- Nandus nebulosus (Gray, 1835)
- Classification
- Anabantiformes › Nandidae
- IUCN Red List
- Least concern (LC)
Natural habitat
Southeast Asia, from Thailand to Indonesia (Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo)
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It is widespread from Thailand to Indonesia: the Malay Peninsula, Singapore, Sumatra and Borneo.
It lives in varied habitats, from hill streams to peat swamp forests, in small streams and flooded forest, among leaf litter and submerged wood.
Behaviour
Solitary and discreet, it is an ambush predator: it drifts or stays motionless, tilted like a leaf, before sucking in small fish and crustaceans. Any fish that fits in its mouth is prey.
Keep it alone or with species too large to be swallowed, in a calm, dim tank rich in hiding places. It needs live or frozen prey (shrimp, bloodworms, small fish).