Taxonomy & naming
Erethistes minusculus (Ng & Kottelat, 2007) is the valid name in the Catalog of Fishes, originally in another genus. It was described from Dayame Chaung, 1.6 kilometres north of Daik-U, Bago, Myanmar. The correct masculine form is minusculus rather than the 'minuscula' used in the store listing. The epithet is Latin for 'very small'.
Morphology
Erethistes are tiny sisorid catfishes of hill streams in South and Southeast Asia, with a stiff, spiny first dorsal and pectoral fin, bony plates or tubercles on the back, and a short, rather square body.
Habitat
It is known from Myanmar. Further habitat data are not recorded in the sources available to the atlas.
Feeding
Diet in the wild is not recorded in the sources available to the atlas. Tiny hill-stream catfishes of this kind eat small invertebrates; in captivity they take daphnia, cyclops, baby brine shrimp and finely chopped frozen foods.
Mating
Mating behaviour is not recorded in the sources available to the atlas.
Breeding
Captive breeding is not recorded in the sources available to the atlas.
In the aquarium
It needs a mature, clean, well-oxygenated tank with gentle to moderate flow, fine substrate and small stones or leaf litter, with tiny peaceful tankmates only. Exact water parameters are not recorded in the sources available to the atlas.
Conservation
Conservation status is not assessed in the sources available to the atlas. Small hill-stream fishes are sensitive to siltation and stream alteration, but the status of this species is not recorded in the sources available to the atlas.