Taxonomy & naming
Badis pyema was described by Kullander and Britz in 2002 from Nan Hto Chaung near Putao, in the Irrawaddy River drainage of Kachin State, Myanmar. It belongs to Badis in the family Badidae, the dwarf perches often sold as chameleon fish. Kullander and Britz's 2002 revision of the genus is the reference for the species.
Morphology
FishBase gives a maximum length of 1.5 in SL. It is a very small fish, as are most species of Badis.
Habitat
The type stream was about 10 ft wide and under 2 ft deep, with occasional riffles. The water was clear and colourless, the bottom was rock, gravel or sand, and forested hills gave up to about 75% shade. There was no aquatic vegetation. FishBase lists the species from Myanmar only and calls it benthopelagic.
Feeding
Diet is not described for this species. Other Badis take small live invertebrates, and B. pyema is expected to do the same.
Mating
Courtship and spawning have not been described for B. pyema. In the aquarium genus Badis the male typically holds a small cave or crevice and displays to females.
Breeding
Breeding has not been described for this species.
In the aquarium
B. pyema is sold in small numbers by specialist suppliers. Its home stream is clear, cool-running and rocky with no plants, so a bare, well-filtered tank with caves, stones and gentle flow suits it. Keep it with fish that will not out-compete it for small live foods. FishBase records no pH, hardness or temperature for the species.
Conservation
FishBase and the IUCN Red List are the places to check for an assessment of Badis pyema; the atlas knows of none. The species has a small recorded range in northern Myanmar.