All Catfish Species Inventory
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Field collection in Sumatra (8–19 December 2003): Heok Hee Ng

 

Overview

A field collection funded by the ACSI (NSF DEB-0315963) was conducted from 8–19 December 2003 in west-central Sumatra. A total of 41 species of catfish in 9 families were obtained, of which 5 species (4 bagrid and 1 sisorid) were found to be previously undescribed.

 

Activities

The original proposal envisaged sampling along the southwestern region of Sumatra (in the province of Bengkulu), as well as in Pulau Nias or one of the islands of the Mentawai archipelago.  However, heavier-than-expected rains caused flooding and closure of the road leading from Jambi (the starting point) to Bengkulu.  In the case of the islands, the large waves caused by adverse weather forced the cancellation of this part of the collection trip.

An alternative plan to sample the western highlands of central Sumatra was carried out instead, the main sampling area lying within the triangle delineated by Sungaidareh-Maninjau-Alahan Panjang in the province of Sumatera Barat (Fig. 1).  Since the freshwater ichthyofauna of this area was as poorly-known as that of the Bengkulu region (and information from aquarium-fish collectors indicated that the freshwater ichthyofauna of these two regions were essentially identical), it was felt that this offered a less dangerous, viable alternative.

At the same time, smaller collections were made in the middle Batang Hari drainage in the Jambi-Muaratebo region (Fig. 1), as well as in the Lalan-Banjuasin drainage to the south (in the province of Sumatera Selatan; Fig. 1).

The collections made largely consisted of market purchases; some stream collections were made, but the opportunity to do so was limited by the paucity of finding pristine habitats due to large-scale habitat loss as a result of agriculture.

Fig. 1.  Map of Sumatra showing the approximate areas sampled (gray ellipses).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Results

The resulting collection of freshwater fishes made in this expedition is one of the largest made to date of the upper Batang Hari drainage and of the western Sumatran highlands.  A total of 41 catfish species in 9 families were obtained on this trip (see Table 1), of which 2 species of Leiocassis (Bagridae), 2 of Pseudomystus (Bagridae) and 1 of Glyptothorax (Sisoridae) were found to be previously undescribed.  Tissue samples of nearly all of the catfish species obtained were also taken (see Table 2).  In addition several interesting non-siluriform fishes were also obtained on this expedition, including the rare cyprinid Schismatorhynchos heterorhynchus, and potentially undescribed species of Rasbora and Osteochilus (Cyprinidae).

The specimens obtained on this trip will be split three ways among the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense (Cibinong, Indonesia), the Zoological Reference Collection, Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research (Singapore), and the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, USA).  Holotypes of the new species will be deposited in the MZB.

The following manuscripts utilizing the material obtained from this expedition are already in preparation:

 

Expenses

The trip consumed $2761.18 of the $2820 budgeted.  A detailed expense account of the trip is given in Table 3.

 

Table 1.  List of siluriform species obtained

 

ARIIDAE

Arius melanochir

BAGRIDAE

Bagrichthys macracanthus

Bagrichthys macropterus

Bagroides melapterus

Hemibagrus cf. nemurus

Hemibagrus velox

Hemibagrus wyckii

Hyalobagrus flavus

Leiocassis n. sp. 1

Leiocassis n. sp. 2

Mystus castaneus

Mystus singaringan

Pseudomystus ellenriederi

Pseudomystus n. sp. 1

Pseudomystus n. sp. 2

CHACIDAE

Chaca bankanensis

CLARIIDAE

Clarias meladerma

Clarias nieuhofii

Encheloclarias velatus

PANGASIIDAE

Helicophagus typus

Helicophagus waandersii

Pangasius micronema

Pangasius nasutus

PLOTOSIDAE

Plotosus canius

SCHILBEIDAE

Laides hexanema

Pseudeutropius brachypopterus

SILURIDAE

Belodontichthys dinema

Ceratoglanis scleronema

Hemisilurus heterorhynchus

Hemisilurus moolenburghi

Kryptopterus bicirrhis

Kryptopterus cryptopterus

Kryptopterus limpok

Kryptopterus macrocephalus

Micronema apogon

Ompok eugeneiatus

Ompok rhadinurus

Wallago leerii

SISORIDAE

Bagarius lica

Glyptothorax platypogonides

Glyptothorax n. sp.


Table 2.  List of siluriform taxa for which tissue samples were collected

 

ARIIDAE

Arius melanochir

BAGRIDAE

Bagrichthys macracanthus

Bagrichthys macropterus

Bagroides melapterus

Hyalobagrus flavus

Leiocassis n. sp. 1

Leiocassis n. sp. 2

Mystus castaneus

Mystus singaringan

Pseudomystus n. sp. 1

Pseudomystus n. sp. 2

CLARIIDAE

Encheloclarias velatus

PANGASIIDAE

Helicophagus typus

Helicophagus waandersii

Pangasius nasutus

PLOTOSIDAE

Plotosus canius

SCHILBEIDAE

Laides hexanema

Pseudeutropius brachypopterus

SILURIDAE

Belodontichthys dinema

Ceratoglanis scleronema

Hemisilurus heterorhynchus

Hemisilurus moolenburghi

Kryptopterus bicirrhis

Kryptopterus cryptopterus

Kryptopterus limpok

Micronema apogon

Ompok eugeneiatus

Ompok rhadinurus

Wallago leerii

SISORIDAE

Bagarius lica

Glyptothorax platypogonides

Glyptothorax n. sp.


 

Table 3.  Expense account for expedition

 

 

Indonesian Rupiah**

Singapore dollars***

US dollars

ACCOMODATIONS

 

 

 

Hotel

1362000

 

163.60

 

 

 

 

TRAVEL EXPENSES

 

 

 

Return airfare for 1 pax (Detroit-Singapore)

 

 

1,368.04

Return airfare for 2 pax (Singapore-Jambi)@S$323.50 each

 

647.00

382.84

Airport tax for 2 pax (Jambi airport)

50000

 

6.00

Gas

444000

 

53.33

Vehicle rental

1500000

 

180.18

 

 

 

 

SUPPLIES

 

 

 

Wellington boots (2 pairs)

96000

 

11.53

Cloth for packing of specimens (12 yards@S$2/yard)

 

24.00

14.20

Plastic boxes for field preservation

163875

 

19.68

Formalin

60000

 

7.21

Postal boxes for shipping of specimens to the US

 

16.35

9.67

 

 

 

 

SPECIMEN PURCHASE

 

 

 

Market purchase

1298000

 

155.92

 

 

 

 

MISCELLANEOUS

 

 

 

Meals

1642500

 

197.30

Guide fees

118000

 

14.17

Postage for mailing of specimens to the US*

 

300.00

177.51

 

 

 

 

TOTAL

 

 

2,761.18

 

 

 

 

*Estimated amount for which receipts are not yet available

(specimens still in Singapore awaiting permit for shipment)

**Calculated at the rate of 8325 IDR=1 USD

 

 

 

***Calculated at the rate of 1.70 SGD=1 USD

 

 

 

 


Addendum: Additional Results

The opportunity was also made use of during this expedition to study the catfishes deposited in the Zoological Reference Collection, Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, Singapore.

New species in the following genera were identified:

Batasio (Bagridae)

Chandramara (Bagridae)

Nanobagrus (Bagridae)

Clarias (Clariidae)

Hemisilurus (Siluridae)

The descriptions of these new species are currently under consideration.

Data for other species were also obtained, which may serve usefulness in the future description of other catfish species.