Fig 1
Fig 2
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Order : Osteoglossiformes
Family : NOTOPTERIDAE
Species : Notopterus notopterus
Maximum length (excluding tail fin) : 60 cm
Common length (including tail fin) : 25 cm
(Fishbase, 2026)
Text updated : October, 2026.
Notopterus notopterus (Bronze Featherback,
Bronze Knifefish) is the only valid species of the genus
Notopterus recognised by
Fishbase (as of 2026), however it probably represents a species complex (Ng,
2020).
This wide-ranging fish occurs in a variety of freshwater and brackish habitats
including swamp forest, river floodplains, still or stagnant ponds, marshlands, rice
paddies, lakes and irrigation ditches (Ng,
2020).
It is easily identified by its plain colour and its laterally-flattened
body shape. The dorsal fin, positioned in the central part of the back,
is very small and is shaped like a feather. The fins on the
underside of the fish are well developed; the pelvic, anal and tail fins
are all fused into one continuous fin.
Notopterus notopterus is demersal in habits i.e. it is bottom-dwelling. It is
carnivorous, and is known to feed on crustaceans, insects and other
fishes (Ng, 2020).
This important food source ranges from India through Bangladesh and much
of mainland Southeast Asia to Sumatra and Java.
In Singapore it is considered a well-established, introduced species, and
has been documented in a number of man-made inland and coastal
reservoirs (Tan et al, 2020).
Fig 1 : Example from Kranji Marshes, Singapore; this is a secondary,
freshwater habitat, formerly a mangrove inlet. The fish was observed in
shallow water at night, and was photographed under flashlight.
Fig 2 : Kranji Marshes lies at the edge of Kranji Reservoir, which was
formed in the 1970's after the damming of a mangrove inlet.
References
and links :
Ng, H.H. 2020. Notopterus notopterus. The IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species 2020.
Tan Heok Hui, Kelvin Lim Kok Peng, Liew Jia Huan, Low Bi Wei, Rayson Lim
Bock Hing, Jeffrey Kwik Teik Beng & Darren C. J. Yeo (2020). The non-native
freshwater fishes of Singapore: an annotated compilation. Raffles Bulletin
of Zoology, 68: 150-195.
Fishbase
- Notopterus notopterus
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