A new species of Asian bumblebee catfish inhabiting blackwater habitats has been described from southern Borneo.
Naming the new species Pseudomystus funebris in the most recent issue of the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, Singapore ichthyologist Heok Hee Ng distinguishes it from other Asian bumblebee catfishes except for P. heokhuii in having an unusual colour pattern of a pale midlateral stripe and pale oblique bands on the sides of the body.
Pseudomystus funebris differs from P. heokhuii in having a a shorter adipose-fin base, more slender caudal peduncle, wider head, larger eye and a slightly convex (vs. evenly sloping) predorsal profile.
The new species is known from the Kahayan River drainage in southern Borneo, where it inhabits floodplain peat swamp habitats. Its habitat is the reason behind its species name, which is Latin for “of a funeral”. Being clothed in black is traditionally associated with a funeral, and this name alludes to the blackwater habitat of the species.
For more information, see the paper: Ng, HH (2010) Pseudomystus funebris, a new species of catfish from Borneo (Teleostei: Bagridae). The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 58, pp. 87–91.