Akysis

Heok Hee Ng & Darrell J. Siebert, 2004, A new species of the catfish genus Akysis (Siluriformes: Akysidae) from southern Borneo., Zootaxa 733, pp. 1-8 : 1

[[ Genus Akysis ]]

Among akysids, fishes of the genus Akysis are very small, cryptically coloured species generally found in fast-flowing streams with a sandy or rocky bottom and, until recently they have been poorly studied, mainly due to the paucity of material in museum collections.

Recent work (e.g. Ng, 1996; Ng & Kottelat, 1996, 1998, 2000; Ng & Tan, 1999; Ng & Freyhof, 2003; Ng & Kottelat, 2004) indicates that Akysis is more diverse than previously thought, with 23 species now known. Even so, the genus remains known only from widely scattered localities from over a vast area that is under-surveyed. Appropriate collecting, especially aimed at small, cryptic, and possibly nocturnal fishes is needed from throughout its range if the diversity of the genus is to be fully understood. During an on-going survey of the Barito River drainage in southern Borneo a species of Akysis was obtained which, on comparison with other known species, was found to be undescribed. We describe this species here as A. meridionalis new species, which represents the first record of this genus from the Barito River drainage.