''Cyclocheilichthys heteronema'' is a species of

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

in the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

Cyclocheilichthys ''Cyclocheilichthys'' is a genus of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae containing approximately nine valid species. They are native to freshwater habitats in Southeast Asia and China. Species ''Cyclocheilichthys'' contains the following ...

''. They inhabit freshwater bodies of water in the

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

, and the

Chao Phraya The Chao Phraya River is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Etymology Written evidence of the river being referred to by the ...

and

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River ( , ) is a transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth-longest river and the third-longest in Asia with an estimated length of and a drainage area of , discharging of wat ...

basins.

Description

Growing to the maximum length of 12 cm, it is among the smallest of its genus. A plainly colored fish but some freshly caught specimens may show a slightly bluish sheen. Cyclocheilichthys heteronema closeup

Its most unique characteristic is their impressively branched maxillary barbels, which they use to sift through the muddy or silty bottoms of rivers for food.

References

heteronema ''Heteronema'' is a genus of phagotrophic, flagellated euglenoids that are most widely distributed in fresh water environments.Guiry, M. D.; Guiry, G. M. (2012). “Heteronema Dujardin, 1841”. Retrieved February 14, 2019, fro/ref> This genus c ...

Fish of Thailand Fish described in 1853 {{Cyprininae-stub