An obsession with ornamental fish in Asia has unleashed a killer hybrid in Malaysia which is terrorising local fish in the wild, anglers claim.

The flowerhorn, an odd-looking creature with a hump o­n its forehead and patterns o­n its body resembling Chinese letters, is the focus of a major craze in Malaysia and other parts of Asia.

Depending o­n the size of the hump and the quality of colour and markings, the carnivorous fish can fetch thousands of ringgit.

A particularly prized flowerhorn was expected to reach RM1.2 million at an upcoming auction here.

"The craze for rearing the fish all started when someone claimed to have made it rich after getting his lottery numbers from the black markings o­n the fish's body," Raymond Yen, a flowerhorn breeder told AFP .

The distinctive hump is also found o­n the Chinese God of Longevity.

"People believe it brings them wealth and good luck," he said.