Alien fish species invading ecosystem

Ikan bandaraya gets dumped into drains and freshwater areas once they have grown too big. — Filepic

Once teeming with aquatic life, Sungai Langat, near Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), in Bangi, Selangor, is now filled with invasive alien fish that threaten the ecosystem.

The suckermouth catfish (Hypostamus plecostomus), also known as ikan bandaraya and originally from South America, has multiplied there and in other waterways within the state in recent years.