All FishesBagridaeMystus  |  | 

Hop to next section All Fishes Data Sheet
Scientific Name Mystus vittatus  (Bloch, 1794)
Common Names Asian Striped Catfish
Indian Streifenwels (Germany), Pyjama Striped Catfish, Stribet Malle (Denmark), Striped Dwarf Catfish
Type Locality Tranquebar [Tharangambadi], India.
Synonym(s) Macrones vittatus, Silurus vittatus
Pronunciation miss tuss - vee TATT uss
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. From the Latin vittatus, meaning decorated with a ribbon; in reference to the striped pattern of the fish.
Hop to next section Species Information
Size 210mm or 8.3" 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.

Easily distinguished by the presence of 4-5 pale blue to brown longitudinal stripes on the body, the presence of the humeral spot, and a moderately long adipose fin.
Sexing Males have an elongate genital papilla in front of the anal fin.
Hop to next section Habitat Information
Distribution Asia: Indian subcontinent, including Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and probably Myanmar. Reported from Malaysia, Laos, Bhutan, Viet Nam and Cambodia. May have been confused with other Mystus.
Indian waters (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Pakistan Waters (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Nepal Waters (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Bangladesh Waters (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Sri Lanka Waters (click on these areas to find other species found there)

Log in to view data on a map.
IUCN Red List Category Least Concern, range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2009.
pH 6.0 - 7.4
Temperature 22.0-28.0°C or 71.6-82.4°F (Show species within this range)
Hop to next section Husbandry Information
Feeding Easily adapts to a wide variety of frozen and prepared food in the aquarium. May eat very small fish. User data.
Furniture The tank should be furnished with ample driftwood and rocks.
Compatibility Compatible with most fishes, although very small fishes will be eaten. 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 Not reported in captivity.
Breeding Reports There is no breeding report.
Hop to next section Further Information
Reference Naturgeschichte der ausländischen Fische v. 8, pp 50, Pl. 371 (fig. 2).
Registered Keepers There is no registered keeper.
Wishlists Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list.
There is no wish to keep this species.
Spotters Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars!
There are 4 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
Forum BBCode
Look up PlanetCatfish.com Look up M. vittatus on PlanetCatfish.com
Look up on Fishbase Look up M. vittatus on Fishbase
Look up on Encyclopedia of Life Look up M. vittatus on Encyclopedia of Life
Look up on Global Biodiversity Information Facility Look up M. vittatus on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
Mystus vittatus QR code LFS label creator
Last Update 2020 Oct 25 01:03 (species record created: 2002 Jan 27 00:00)