Pseudecheneis species are
rheophilic fish that occur in the headwaters of major river drainages throughout South and Southeast Asia.[3] They are found in the upper reaches of rivers throughout the Sub
himalayan and
Indochinese region.[8] They are distributed in the
Ganges and
Brahmaputra drainages of northern
India and
Nepal and eastwards to the
Ailao Mountains along the upper
Red River drainage of
Vietnam and the
Annamese Cordillera.[4][9]P. maurus represents the first record of the genus on the rivers draining to the eastern face of the Annamese Cordillera.
Description
Pseudecheneis species are easily distinguished among sisorids in having a thoracic adhesive apparatus consisting of a series of transverse ridges (laminae) separated by grooves (sulcae).[3] The
dorsal and
pectoral fins have one spine each. The head is short and anteriorly depressed with a sharp snout and small mouth. The lips are thick, fleshy, and
papillate. The body is elongate, from moderately to greatly depressed. The eyes are small and dorsally-located. The skin is smooth. Mouth small. The maxillary
barbels are very short. The mandibular barbels are
papillate. The gill openings are narrow. Paired fins are
plaited to form an adhesive apparatus.[9]