All FishesBagridaeMystus  |  | 

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Scientific Name Mystus albolineatus  Roberts, 1994
Common Name Flathead Stinging Catfish
Type Locality Prachinburi market, Bangpakong basin, Thailand.
Pronunciation miss tuss - al BOW lin ee ah tuss
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. The specific epithet alludes to the thin white lateral stripe described below.
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Size 350mm or 13.8" 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.

Melanophores absent from skin in immediate proximity of lateral line, thus creating a thin median white or pale stripe. The stripe is emphasized by dense accumulations of melanophores immediately above and below it.
Sexing Males have an elongate genital papilla in front of the anal fin.
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Distribution Asia: Chao Phraya and Bangpakong basins in Thailand and Mekong basin.
Thailand Waters, Chao Praya (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Thailand Waters, Bang Pakong (click on these areas to find other species found there)

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IUCN Red List Category Least Concern, range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2011.
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Feeding Easily adapts to a wide variety of frozen and prepared food in the aquarium. May eat very small fish. User data.
Furniture Provide plenty of driftwood and vegetation as hiding spaces, this species is especially fond of the former.
Compatibility Compatible with most fishes, although very small fishes will be eaten.
Suggested Tankmates Ideal tankmates include larger barbs and rasboras in an Asian biotope setup. This species is not overtly territorial, so more than one can be kept together.
Breeding Unreported. Spawns just prior to or at the onset of the rainy season and its young are first caught in July and August.
Breeding Reports There is no breeding report.
Hop to next section Further Information
Reference Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters v. 5 (no. 3), pp 245, Fig. 1.
Registered Keepers There is no registered keeper.
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There is but a single record of this fish being seen, view it.
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Last Update 2019 Oct 08 07:28 (species record created: 2005 Jul 19 00:00)