平头鳠

Overview

Hemibagrus planiceps is a river catfish from western Java associated with clear, fast water. Its name was formerly applied to similar fishes on other islands and the Malay Peninsula, making collection locality important when interpreting a labeled specimen.

Distribution & habitat

Confirmed occurrence is restricted to seven river systems in western Java, Indonesia, including the Citarum and Ciliwung. It favors upper drainage reaches with clear current over rock or sand.

Diet & feeding

Crustaceans and smaller fishes are presumed prey. That probable natural diet does not establish a need to feed living prey in captivity.

Sexual dimorphism

Males possess an external genital papilla. Whether it reaches the anal-fin origin should not be used alone to determine identity or sex.

Notes

There is no dark line along the middle of the flank. The adipose-fin base is relatively short and the upper tail lobe rounded. Separation from close relatives also involves vertebral counts, spacing between the eyes, and spine proportions, so an ordinary photograph may not establish identification.

The northwestern Peninsular Malaysian population once placed here has been distinguished separately. Similar fishes from Sumatra, Borneo, and other parts of the Malay Peninsula should likewise not automatically be assigned to this species.