Taxonomy & naming
Described by Prosanta Chakrabarty and Heok Hee Ng in 2005. The type locality is the Myitkyina market, Kachin State, Myanmar, so the exact collection site is a market rather than a river. It is a valid species in the Catalog of Fishes. The epithet is Latin; falcarius relates to a sickle, probably for a curved fin, though the sources available to the atlas do not say.
Morphology
A bagrid with four barbel pairs and spined dorsal and pectoral fins. FishBase gives a maximum of 7.5 in SL and notes that the genus can breathe air facultatively.
Habitat
FishBase lists the Irrawaddy and Salween drainages and the shorter drainages of Myanmar, and classes it as a freshwater demersal fish.
Feeding
A carnivore-omnivore by genus default; no species-specific data.
Mating
FishBase gives oviparous reproduction with distinct pairing, possibly like other members of the family.
Breeding
The species is oviparous according to FishBase. No aquarium breeding record is known to the atlas.
In the aquarium
Rarely seen alive in the hobby. Treat it as a bagrid that reaches 7.5 in SL and needs space, shelter and tankmates too large to eat.
Conservation
The IUCN Red List assessed Mystus falcarius as Least Concern in 2009.