The giant snakehead is a non-native fish in Singapore that inhabits freshwater (Lim & Ng, 1990; Ng & Tan, 2010). The featured individual was most likely flushed into the Sungei Buloh Besar from freshwaters upstream or from the Kranji Reservoir. This species is not known to be able to survive for the long term in saltwater. It is likely to die from osmotic shock if it is unable to return to freshwater.

Opinions and declarations Rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature

Widely distributed in the Indochinese and Sunda regions, and common throughout Peninsular Malaysia, Glochidion obscurum appears to be an overlooked native species in Singapore. We discuss this new finding, here documented as a new record for Singapore, where, based on its known distribution, it is considered a locally threatened species.