Taxonomy & naming
Pseudolaguvia shawi (Hora, 1921) is the valid name in the Catalog of Fishes, originally described in a different genus. The Catalog of Fishes records the type locality as the Mahanadi River below Darjeeling, West Bengal; this is the name as printed by the Catalog. The epithet is a patronym, and the honoree is not recorded in the sources available to the atlas.
Morphology
Pseudolaguvia are small, flattened sisorid catfishes of hill-stream and foothill drainages of South Asia, with a depressed head and body, a pad-like thoracic adhesive apparatus on the underside, and bony tubercles or ridges on the skin in many species. FishBase gives this species a maximum of 1.5 in TL.
Habitat
FishBase gives its range as Darjeeling, the Siliguri Terai and Sikkim in India, with reports from Bangladesh. It is found in mountain rapids of the Himalayan foothills.
Feeding
Diet in the wild is not recorded in the sources available to the atlas. Small sisorids of this kind are generally benthic feeders on tiny invertebrates, and in captivity small frozen foods such as bloodworm, daphnia and cyclops, along with fine sinking foods, are the usual offering.
Mating
Mating behaviour is not recorded in the sources available to the atlas.
Breeding
Breeding of this species in captivity is not recorded in the sources available to the atlas.
In the aquarium
It is an uncommon, specialist import. Provide clean, well-oxygenated, moderately flowing water over sand or fine gravel with stones and leaf litter for cover, and keep it with small peaceful tankmates. FishBase gives no temperature, pH or hardness range for this species.
Conservation
The IUCN Red List assessed it as Least Concern in 2009, meaning it is not considered at risk of extinction at present. Small hill-stream fishes of the region are exposed to habitat alteration.