''Mystus ankutta'', also known as the Sri Lanka dwarf catfish or yellow dwarf catfish, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
of
catfish
Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...
of the family
Bagridae
The Bagridae are a family of catfish that are native to Africa (''Bagrus'') and Asia (all other genera) from Japan to Borneo. It includes about 245 species. These fish are commonly known as naked catfishes or bagrid catfishes.
Many large bagrids ...
that is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...
to
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
.
In the wild it is found in freshwater bodies from Kelani river
The Kelani River ( si, කැළණි ගඟ) is a river in Sri Lanka. Ranking as the fourth-longest river in the country, it stretches from the Sri Pada Mountain Range to Colombo. It flows through or borders the Sri Lankan districts of Nuwar ...
to Nilwala river in Sri Lanka.[
It grows to a length of 7.9 cm.] This fish is classified as endangered by the IUCN.[
]
References
Bagridae
Catfish of Asia
Freshwater fish of Sri Lanka
Endemic fauna of Sri Lanka
Fish described in 2008
Taxa named by Rohan Pethiyagoda
{{bagridae-stub