This species is poorly known in general and is not present in the ornamental trade, although its name is widely misapplied to other Luciosoma species. Its congeners are mostly marketed as ‘apollo shark’, ‘shark minnow’, or similar, and often labelled with incorrect scientific names.

Identification of the fish pictured here is based on Bleeker (1855, 1860) and Roberts (1989), plus drawings by Bleeker, thus…

C. micropeltes is also referred to as ‘Indonesian’, ‘red’, or ‘redline’ snakehead, the latter names in reference to the appearance of juveniles which often appear in the ornamental trade despite its unsuitability for home aquaria. It is somewhat hyperbolised in the media as a fearsome, invasive “monster” fish with a reputation for killing more fish than it can eat, and even the occasional human, although in reality…