Seriously Fish
AdminAccount
AdminAccount

Kryptopterus palembangensis

(Bleeker, 1852)Formerly Silurus palembangensis Bleeker, 1852

Last revised 2026Edit this page

On this page8 sections
This species is very rare in the aquarium trade.
This species is very rare in the aquarium trade.Zhou Hang

Quick factsEdit

Max size
140mm SL6in SL
Aquarium size
120 × 30cm48 × 12in
Temp
20–28°C68–82°F
pH
6.0–7.5
Hardness
2–15dGH

Difficulty5 of 8 measures

Moderate

How the rating is worked out

Space
large tank
Water
flexible
Temp
flexible
Diet
unknown
Temperament
unknown
Social
needs to be in a group
Compatibility
choose tankmates carefully

Other demands

Each of these can raise the rating on its own, whatever the measures above say.

Hardiness
unknown

Kryptopterus palembangensis is a silurid catfish known only from central and southern Sumatra, in the provinces of Jambi and South Sumatra. It is closely related to K. bicirrhis but is told apart by a prominent, dark lateral stripe on each flank. Almost unheard of in the aquarium trade, it may occasionally be exported among shipments of wild fishes from Sumatra.

Etymology

Edit

Kryptopterus: from the Greek kryptos, meaning 'hidden', and pterýgio, meaning 'fin', in reference to the reduced or absent dorsal-fin in members of this genus.

palembangensis: 'of Palembang', in reference to the type locality of this species.

Distribution

Edit

Type locality is given as 'Palembang, Sumatra, Indonesia', and this species appears to be known only from central and southern Sumatra in the provinces of Jambi and South Sumatra (Sumatera Selatan).

Aquarium size

Write a noteEdit
Standard length
140mm SL6in SL
Aquarium base
120 × 30cm48 × 12in
Volume
~108litres~29US gal

An aquarium with base dimensions of 120 ∗ 30 cm48 ∗ 12 in or equivalent should be the smallest considered.

Water conditions

Edit
Temperature
20–28°C68–82°F
pH
6.0–7.5
Hardness
2–15dGH

These recommendations come from this profile’s own figures. They contain affiliate links, so we may earn a commission.

Diet

Write a noteEdit

Probably a predator feeding on crustaceans, invertebrates and smaller fishes in nature, although there should be no need to use such live foods in captivity.

Offer a varied diet comprising sinking dried foods, live and frozen bloodworm, Tubifex, etc., and perhaps the occasional small earthworm.

Notes

Edit

This species is almost unheard of in the aquarium trade though may occasionally be exported among shipments of wild fishes from Sumatra.

It's closely-related to K. bicirrhis but is told apart by presence (vs. absence) of a prominent, dark lateral stripe on each flank.

Kryptopterus species are found only in Southeast Asia and the genus has been considered polyphyletic since Bornbusch (1995) with some former species already moved to the genera Phalacronotus and Micronema.

Those still contained within the genus are assigned to a number of putative species groups as follows:

K. bicirrhis group: K. bicirrhis, K. lais, K. palembangensis, K. macrocephalus, K. minor, K. piperatus, K. vitreolus
K. cryptopterus group: K. cryptopterus, K. geminus
K. limpok group: K. limpok, K. mononema, K. dissitus, K. baramensis, K. hesperius
K. schilbeides group: K. schilbeides, K. paraschilbeides

Bombusch (1995) identified the K. bicirrhis group as a distinct clade although he didn't propose any synapomorphy to diagnose it.

Ng and Kottelat (2013)[4] later noted that members normally have fewer anal-fin rays (46–67 vs. 64–85) than other congeners and placed K. piperatus and K. vitreolus within the group based on this character.

References

  1. Ferraris, C. J., Jr. (2007). Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa 1418, 1-628
  2. Bornbusch, A. H. (1995). Phylogenetic relationships within the Eurasian catfish family Siluridae (Pisces: Siluriformes), with comments on generic validities and biogeography. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 115, 1-46
  3. Tan, H. H. and H. H. Ng (2000). The catfishes (Teleostei: Siluriformes) of central Sumatra. Journal of Natural History 34(2), 267-303
  4. Ng, H-H. and M. Kottelat (2013). After eighty years of misidentification, a name for the glass catfish (Teleostei: Siluridae). Zootaxa 3630, 308-316
  5. Bleeker, P. (1852). Diagnostische beschrijvingen van nieuwe of weinig bekende vischsoorten van Sumatra. Tiental I - IV. Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indië v. 3, 569-608
  6. Roberts, T. R. (1989). The freshwater fishes of western Borneo (Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia). Memoirs of the California Academy of Sciences 14, 1-210

Species images · 1

This species is very rare in the aquarium trade.
This species is very rare in the aquarium trade.Zhou Hang

These photographs are used with each photographer's permission.

Send a photograph

Distribution

Profile completeness16 of 24

67% complete

Also missing: a common name, habitat, maintenance, water condition notes, behaviour and compatibility, sexual dimorphism, reproduction.

Report a mistake

Community

Questions about Kryptopterus palembangensis?

Ask on Discord