Kryptopterus bicirrhis, often called the glass catfish, is an Asian glass catfish species of the genus Kryptopterus. Until 1989, the concept of K. bicirrhis included its smaller relative Kryptopterus vitreolus ("ghost catfish"; often confused with K. minor). Its scientific name K. bicirrhis and common name glass catfish are often still used in the aquarium fish trade to refer to the actual K. vitreolus; as it seems, the larger and more aggressive true K. bicirrhis was only ever exported in insignificant numbers.
In western Borneo, where K. minor and K. bicirrhis are sympatric, both species are known as lais tipis in the Malay language, but when locals want to distinguish the two, they refer to K. minor as lais limpok. In Cambodia it is known as trey kes prak () and used to make the fermented fish paste prahok.
Description
The true K. bicirrhis is easily separated from K. vitreolus. K. bicirrhis reaches a significantly larger size, up to standard length, and most of its body is not clearly transparent (only obviously transparent around the head). Typically, fish that have this sensitivity to magnetic stimuli are migratory and use this for their sense of direction, but they are nonmigratory fish. The Kryptopterus bicirrhis swim away from any magnetic field above the value of 20 μT (microtesla). This is due to their EPG (electromagnetic perceptive gene), that of which increases the calcium content in the animal's cells when the EMF (electromagnetic field) is stronger. This research may, in the future, have great impacts on how we might control cell activity without having to physically touch cells. This might help to increase the amount of noninvasive brain surgeries, granted more research gets done.
See also
- List of freshwater aquarium fish species