Order : Siluriformes
Family : SILURIDAE
Species : Silurichthys hasseltii

Total Length : 11 cm
(Fishbase, 2026)

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Silurichthys hasseltii (Hasselt's Leaf Catfish) inhabits clear, unpolluted, acidic forest streams and freshwater swamp forest habitats.

By day it lies concealed amongst streamside vegetation or beneath submerged logs or  sunken leaf litter. By night it becomes active and can be found patrolling surface water in its search of insects and other foodstuff.

Its body is laterally compressed, and its skin lacks scales. The dorsal fin is much reduced. The caudal fin (tail fin) is fused to the long anal fin, thereby forming a single elongated fin which extends along the underside of the fish; undulation of this combined fin gives the fish a distinctive, highly sinuous swimming motion.

Silurichthys hasseltii ranges from the Mekong Basin to river systems in Peninsular Malaysia, freshwater swamp forest in Singapore (Ho et al, 2016), and parts of Sumatra.

Fig 1 : Dark example from freshwater swamp forest in Singapore.

Fig 2 : Pale example from freshwater swamp forest near Gunung Panti, Johor, Peninsular Malaysia.

Fig 3 : A shallow freshwater swamp forest stream emerges from the edge of Panti Forest, Johor, Peninsular Malaysia. Silurichthys hasseltii can occur in such habitats.


References :

Ho Jonathan K. I., Sorain J. Ramchunder, Andrew Memory, Meryl Theng, Li Tianjiao, Esther Clews, Cai Yixiong, Tan Heok Hui & Darren C. J. Yeo. (2016). A Guide to the Freshwater Fauna of Nee Soon Swamp Forest.  Singapore: Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum & Tropical Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore. 139 pp.