Photo: jacilluch, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Lesser glass catfish
Kryptopterus minor
8 cm
Adult size
160 L
Minimum volume
10
Minimum group
7 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Kryptopterus
- Diet
- carnivore and omnivore
- Social life
- shoal
In the wild
Overview
Described in 1989 by Tyson Roberts, Kryptopterus minor is a small translucent catfish of about 7 cm. The name was long wrongly used in the trade for the glass catfish, which is actually K. vitreolus, described in 2013.
It belongs to the “bicirrhis group” of Kryptopterus, catfish with a compressed body, a reduced dorsal fin and two long barbels. The IUCN lists it as near threatened.
- Scientific name
- Kryptopterus minor Roberts, 1989
- Classification
- Siluriformes › Siluridae
- IUCN Red List
- Near threatened (NT)
Natural habitat
Western Borneo (West Kalimantan, Indonesia)
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It is known from western Borneo, in the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan, which drains notably the Kapuas basin.
Reference sources give few details of its habitat; FishBase gives tropical water (24 to 28 °C) of low to medium hardness.
Behaviour
Like its relatives, it is a shoaling fish that stays in open water and must live in a group of at least 6 to 10 to avoid wasting away.
Peaceful and rather shy, it feeds on small invertebrates and zooplankton. Its breeding in the aquarium is not documented.