r/MalaysianWildlife

u/ThenAcanthocephala57

Sifu.... I never fished before... Any tips for someone with zero xp and rod?

Any Kampong tips to get started.

Desmopuntius johorensis, ikan jalur ara or the six-banded barb.

A small (6 cm) fish native to the peninsula and southern Sarawak. It generally inhabits swamps with acidic water.

However I found a few in this drain / longkang along with rasboras, gourami and other native fishes. This is quite common during the northeast monsoon season in Kelantan and Terengganu.

They can be distinguished from tiger barbs (an Indonesian fish) by their slimmer body and having 6 stripes instead of 4. They also tend to have a darker reddish body colour.

Six-banded barbs are peaceful fish which can coexist with other species in a community tank. They are a schooling fish and should be kept in groups.

Rhinogobius similis, the Amur goby.

An invasive species from East Asia. It is now found on the west coast, notably Klang Valley, Penang and Perak.

Males grow to 10 cm and females 6 cm. They have been recorded in ex-mining pools, lakes and urban rivers/streams.

They are highly adaptable, displacing our native species and outcompeting them. They also feed on fish fry and eggs at the bottom.

Based on my sampling of areas in K. Valley at least, they seem to be the most common small freshwater goby there now.

Heliocypha perforata, the common blue jewel or permata biru.

A species of damselfly native to Malaysia. Inhabits clean, fast-flowing rocky streams, forest streams, and waterfalls, sometimes up in lower montane forest.

Males are colourful, displaying their brilliant black and blue colours to females. They also defend their territory and fight for the best spots by the stream.

The nymphs grow underwater under rocks. But they are highly sensitive to pollution, and thus the presence of this species is a good indicator of water quality!

Rhinecanthus aculeatus, the Picasso triggerfish or jebung coreng hitam.

Grows to 30 cm and is found on subtidal flats, shallow protected lagoons, and sandy-rubble margins in both sides of Malaysia.

They blow jets of water into the sand to uncover mollusc and crustacean prey. When facing sea urchins, they turn the animal upside down and bite the underparts.

They are active during the day and solitary, chasing away intruders. During breeding they will even bite humans.

They are not under threat, but they are commonly collected for the aquarium trade due to their beautiful patterns. I’ll include a photo in the comments to show.

Rasbora einthovenii, the brilliant Rasbora or ikan seluang.

A small (6 cm) species native to all of Malaysia in acidic swamps and streams in the lowlands. They are often abundant there, found in large groups.

They got their English name from the way their stripe shines iridescent green under sunlight.

They do well in aquariums and adapt to fish food easily. Peaceful and will not bother other fish, they require schools of 6+ individuals.

Parosphromenus harveyi, Harvey’s licorice gourami.

An endangered fish that is only found in Malaysia, specifically in North Selangor. It grows to 4 cm and inhabits deep (1-2+ m) blackwater swamps of peat forests.

They are classified as Endangered by the IUCN due to habitat loss and pollution. Many of the waterways it used to inhabit are polluted and dirty, and many swamps have been cleared for new houses and highways.

They are unique among the Malaysian licorice species as they have full blue fins with little to no red parts.

They are bred in captivity here and in the west for conservation, but for most normal aquarists they are too difficult to care for. They require live food and highly acidic (pH 4-5.0) soft water that is kept clean.

Macrochirichthys, parang sungai or giant sword minnow.

A large 100 cm predator fish native to large lowland rivers. Specifically the Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Perak, Bernam and Rajang rivers.

It is highly predatory, using its mouth for surface hunting. Adults eat fish and juveniles eat insects.

They are sensitive to overfishing and pollution. This one might have died due to polluted water.

In the last poster it is no. 11.

Note that they are not related at all to true ikan parang (Chirocentrus), which is a saltwater fish that is important as food in Malaysia.
Parang sungai are rare enough that they are not commonly used for anything.

These are 永南’s loaches from Malaysia as he feeds them. Malaysia has about 20 known species from the genus Gastromyzon.

Almost all are endemic! That is, only found in Malaysia.

They live in clean rocky hillstreams and mountain rivers with clear water and cool temperatures.
In Malay they are called ikan rokot.

In the wild they are herbivorous and grazing specialists that feed on biofilm (a mix of microalgae, cyanobacteria, bacteria, and organic detritus) as well as tiny aquatic microinvertebrates.

Video by 永南

Stigmatogobius pleurostigma

A species of freshwater knight goby native to all parts of Malaysia and nearby countries. Usually inhabits clean streams near the coast, and lives in brackish water as well. Grows to 7 cm.

Its cousin, the grey knight goby (S. sadanundio) is sold in the aquarium hobby. They are hardy fish and easy to care for. Likes alkaline hard water and is unfussy about food.

They are territorial with other gobies though and will fight each other if not given enough space.