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Bocourt's mystus (Mystus bocourti) — Bagridae

Bocourt's mystus

Mystus bocourti
Family: Bagridae

The Bocourt's mystus (Mystus bocourti) is a freshwater fish of the family Bagridae that grows up to 24 cm.

Length
24 cm
Water
Freshwater
Diet
Carnivore
Activity
Nocturnal
Body shape
Elongated (eel-like)
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom
Danger
Venomous / poisonous
Edibility
Rarely eaten

Description

The Bocourt's mystus is a bagrid catfish (Bagridae) from fresh water of the Mekong basin in Southeast Asia. The species has a slender to sturdy, scaleless, brown-grey body with four pairs of barbels, an adipose fin and a long anal fin. As a nocturnal bottom-dweller it searches over sand and mud of rivers and lakes for insect larvae, small crustaceans, molluscs and small fish. The stout, serrated pectoral and dorsal spines are venomous and can give a painful puncture wound.

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Bocourt's mystus?

The Bocourt's mystus has an elongate, eel-like body and is mainly brown.

Where does the Bocourt's mystus live?

The Bocourt's mystus lives in fresh water and is mostly found around sand or mud bottom.

How big does the Bocourt's mystus get?

The Bocourt's mystus grows to a maximum of about 24 cm.

Is the Bocourt's mystus dangerous to humans?

The Bocourt's mystus is venomous — handle spines with care and seek medical help after a sting if needed.

Is the Bocourt's mystus edible?

The Bocourt's mystus is rarely eaten.

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All data

Identification

Dutch name
Bocourts stekelmeerval sourced
English name
Bocourt's mystus sourced
Scientific name
Mystus bocourti
Family
Bagridae

Appearance

Size class
Medium verified
Max length (cm)
24.0 verified
Body shape
Elongated (eel-like) sourced
Dominant colour
Brown sourced
Tail shape
Forked inferred
Barbels
Yes sourced
Dorsal spines
Yes sourced

Habitat & distribution

Water type
Freshwater sourced
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom sourced
Origin
Native inferred

Behaviour & biology

Diet
Carnivore inferred
Territorial
No inferred
Activity
Nocturnal sourced
Reproduction
Separate sexes inferred
Sexual dimorphism
No inferred

For anglers

Edibility
Rarely eaten inferred
Fishing method
Bodemvissen met natuurlijk aas (worm, garnaal of vis) op of vlak boven de bodem. inferred
Regulations source
FishBase ↗ inferred

Safety

Danger to humans
Venomous / poisonous verified

Status & sources

Sources
FishBase via GBIF (DwC-A), CC-BY-NC 4.0

Same genus Mystus

More from the family Bagridae

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