Kryptopterus bicirrhis

Kryptopterus bicirrhis, often called the glass catfish, is an Asian glass catfish species of the genus Kryptopterus. Until 1989, the concept of K. bicirrhis included its smaller relative Kryptopterus vitreolus ("ghost catfish"; often confused with K. minor). Its scientific name K. bicirrhis and common name glass catfish are often still used in the aquarium fish trade to refer to the actual K. vitreolus; as it seems, the larger and more aggressive true K. bicirrhis was only ever exported in insignificant numbers.<ref name="planetcatfish" /><ref name=description>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=seriouslyfish>Template:Cite web</ref>

In western Borneo, where K. minor and K. bicirrhis are sympatric, both species are known as lais tipis in the Malay language, but when locals want to distinguish the two, they refer to K. minor as lais limpok. In Cambodia it is known as trey kes prak (Template:Langx) and used to make the fermented fish paste prahok.<ref name="Rainboth1996">Template:Cite book</ref>

Description

The true K. bicirrhis is easily separated from K. vitreolus. K. bicirrhis reaches a significantly larger size, up to Template:Convert standard length,<ref name="Smithsonian2010">Template:Cite book</ref> and most of its body is not clearly transparent (only obviously transparent around the head).<ref name="planetcatfish" /><ref name=description/><ref name=seriouslyfish/> The body of K. bicirrhis is mostly opaque and light greyish.<ref name="planetcatfish" /><ref name=description/><ref name=seriouslyfish/>

When struck by light, it has an iridescence, and it turns milky white as it dies. It has two long barbels for locating food,<ref name="Smithsonian2010"/> which are as long again as the body in front of the anal fin. The dorsal fin is reduced to a tiny triangle, and the pectoral fins are longer than the head.<ref name="planetcatfish" /><ref name=description/>

Ecology

Kryptopterus bicirrhis is found in Borneo, Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula, and the Chao Phraya and Mekong drainage basins.<ref name="fishbase" />

This freshwater catfish inhabits large rivers with turbid water, where they typically live near the shore in fast-flowing water. It seems to prefer peaty water with a rather low temperature for its tropical range, around Template:Convert. It is a diurnal predator and mainly eats water bugs and occasionally smaller fishes.<ref name="fishbase" />

Research with Magnetic Fields

Kryptopterus bicirrhis are extremely responsive to magnetic stimuli and are known to have electroreceptor organs already.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Typically, fish that have this sensitivity to magnetic stimuli are migratory and use this for their sense of direction, but they are nonmigratory fish. The Kryptopterus bicirrhis swim away from any magnetic field above the value of 20 μT (microtesla).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> This is due to their EPG (electromagnetic perceptive gene), that of which increases the calcium content in the animal’s cells when the EMF (electromagnetic field) is stronger.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> This research may, in the future, have great impacts on how we might control cell activity without having to physically touch cells. This might help to increase the amount of noninvasive brain surgeries, granted more research gets done.

See also

• List of freshwater aquarium fish species