Dario Hysginon

Scientific name: Dario Hysginon

Dario: derived from the specific epithet of the type species, dario, which in turn is from its Bangla name, Darhi.

hysginon: from the Ancient Greek hysginon meaning ‘a scarlet or crimson dye’, in reference to the conspicuous red colouration of males.

Location : Endemic to Myanmar where it has been recorded from small streams and tributaries close to the city of Myitkyina in Kachin State as well as in nearby Lake Indawgyi, the largest inland lake in Southeast Asia, with and all known habitats within the Irrawaddy/Ayeyarwady river system.

Other collections have occured further south near Mandalay city, Mandalay Division and these populations have been shown to vary slightly in meristics compared with those from the north of the country (Kullander and Britz, 2002).

Type locality is ‘Nan Kywe Chaung under bridge on road south to Mogaung, 25°20’20″N, 97°16’57″E, Irrawaddy River drainage, Myitkyina District, Kachin State, Myanmar’.

Lake Indawgyi and surrounding area were designated a protected zone by the Ministry of Ecotourism in 1999 and now form the Indawgyi Lake Wildlife Sanctuary.

Kachin State itself is one of the world’s great biodiversity hotspots and contains many endemic species although large portions of the area have already been decimated due to illegal logging.

Difficulty in keeping: Easy

Maximum size: 2.5-3cm Males 2-2.5 cm Females

Selling size:  1.5-2 cm and above

Temperature: 24 – 28 °C  (25°C preferred)

pH: 6-7.8 Our fish are bred and grown at a ph between 6.0 and 7.5

Diet: Primarily carnivorous and apparently feeds mostly on benthic invertebrates in nature. In the aquarium live and frozen foods such as Brine shrimp, Daphnia and Grindal worms should be offered regularly although most specimens will also learn to accept dried alternatives with pelleted products generally preferred to flake.

Disclaimer: Photos are taken of our own fish and usually the breeding parents, photos are for reference only and actual fish you will receive might slightly vary.