SINGAPORE - A certain species of catfish was recently discovered to be residing in the moist, humid habitat of Singapore’s only remaining freshwater swamp – all this while eluding scientists who have been conducting extensive surveys there for 30 years.

The surreptitious species – known as Encheloclarias kelioides – is among Asia’s most poorly understood clariid catfish, an air-breathing species characterised by their elongated bodies, lengthy barbels or whisker-like sensory organs, as well as their long dorsal and anal fins.