Leiocassis Explained

Leiocassis is a genus of bagrid catfishes found mostly in Southeast Asia with some species occurring in China.

This genus has a confused taxonomy and there is uncertainty surrounding the number of valid species. Certain East Asian bagrids formerly placed in this genus have been moved to Pseudobagrus. In 2006, Heok Hee Ng considered the genus Leiocassis to be restricted to Sundaic Southeast Asia and Borneo and only a handful of species as valid (L. aculeatus, L. collinus, L. hosii, L. micropogon, L. poecilopterus, and L. tenebricus).

The members of Leiocassis have an elongate narrow head and a prominently protruding snout.

Species

There are currently 14 recognized species in this genus:

• Leiocassis aculeatus H. H. Ng & Hadiaty, 2005^[1]
• Leiocassis bekantan H. H. Ng & H. H. Tan, 2018^[2]
• Leiocassis brevirostris V. H. Nguyễn, 2005
• Leiocassis collinus H. H. Ng & K. K. P. Lim, 2006^[3]
• Leiocassis crassirostris Regan, 1913
• Leiocassis doriae Regan, 1913
• Leiocassis hosii Regan, 1906^[3]
• Leiocassis longibarbus G. H. Cui, 1990
• Leiocassis micropogon (Bleeker, 1852)
• Leiocassis nitidus (Sauvage & Dabryi, 1874)
• Leiocassis poecilopterus (Valenciennes, 1840)
• Leiocassis saravacensis Boulenger, 1894
• Leiocassis tenebricus H. H. Ng & K. K. P. Lim, 2006^[3]
• Leiocassis yeni V. H. Nguyễn & H. D. Nguyễn, 2005

Notes and References

1. Heok Hee. Ng. Hadiaty, Renny K. . Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters. 16. 1. 83–92. March 2005. Two new bagrid catfishes (Teleostei: Bagridae) from the Alas River drainage, northern Sumatra.
2. Heok Hee. Ng. Tan, Heok Hui. . Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters. 28. 4. 327–336. October 2018. Leiocassis bekantan (Teleostei: Bagridae), a new blackwater catfish from Borneo and Sumatra.
3. Two new species of Leiocassis (Teleostei: Bagridae), riverine catfishes from northeast Borneo. Heok Hee. Ng. Lim, Kelvin K. P. . Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters. 17. 2. 165–172. June 2006.