Indostomus spinosus Britz & Kottelat, 1999
Indostomus spinosus
photo by Vidthayanon, C.

Family:  Indostomidae (Armored sticklebacks)
Max. size:  3 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; freshwater
Distribution:  Asia: Mekong basin.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 3-5; Dorsal soft rays (total): 6-6; Anal soft rays: 6-6. Differs from I. paradoxus and I. crocodilus by the following characters: ridges of head bones strongly serrated, especially in larger males (versus weakly serrated in I. crocodilus, weakly or not serrated in I. paradoxus, depending on the bones; and color pattern (dark brown ventral side, especially on head, with dark brown opercle and throat with numerous brown spots (versus light brown ventral side, throat white, rarely with a few spots in I. paradoxus and I. crocodilus). Further differs from I. paradoxus in having conspicuous dark brown to black bars in dorsal and anal fins of mature males (versus absence, or with narrow light brown bars in sexually active males) (Ref. 38647).
Biology:  Inhabits slow to standing waters from among roots of shore vegetation and thick beds of leaf litter (Ref. 38647). Found in streams, lakes and swamps (Ref. 43281).
IUCN Red List Status: Near Threatened (NT); Date assessed: 22 March 2016 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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