Chitala blanci
| Chitala blanci | ||||||||||||
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Chitala blanci |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Chitala blanci | ||||||||||||
| ( d'Aubenton , 1965) |
Chitala blanci is a species of fish from the Old World Knifefish family (Notopteridae) found in the Mekong and in some of its larger tributaries in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, as well as in the Tonle Sap .
features
Chitala blanci can reach a length of 90 to 120 cm and has an elongated, laterally strongly flattened body with a very long anal fin, tiny pelvic fins and a flag-like dorsal fin that stands approximately above the middle of the body. The head-back profile is clearly concave in the "neck". The scales on the head are smaller than the body scales. The maxillary reaches far behind the eyes. The species differs from other Old World knifefishes of the genus Chitala by numerous small black spots on the front half of the body, which merge on the rear half of the body in irregular oblique bands that extend to the anal fin; also by a large, round, black spot at the base of the pectoral fins. However, this is also present in Chitala lopis .
Way of life
Chitala blanci occurs in deeper areas of the Mekong and its larger tributaries in areas with greater currents and avoids flat regions, shallow tributaries and swamps. The animals usually stay close to the ground over rocky floors and can also be found in or near rapids. They are crepuscular and nocturnal and feed on insects, crustaceans, fish and other small vertebrates. In the rainy season from July to October, Chitala blanci undertakes short hikes in flooded forests to spawn there. The eggs are probably guarded by the female. Because of the heavy fishing and the planned construction of dams in their habitat, the species is considered to be potentially endangered (Near Threatened).
Systematics
The fish species was first described scientifically in 1965 by the French ichthyologist François d'Aubenton-Carafa under the scientific name Notopterus blanci . Beng-Cha on the Mekong in northern Cambodia was given as Terra typica . In 1992, the American ichthyologist Tyson R. Roberts placed the species in the genus Chitala as part of a revision of the Old World knife fish .
supporting documents
- ↑ a b Chitala blanci in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2011. Posted by: Vidthayanon, C., 2011. Accessed November 16 of 2019.
- ↑ a b Walter J. Rainboth: FAO species identification field guide for fishery purposes. Fishes of the Cambodian Mekong. FAO, Rome 1996, ISBN 92-5-103743-4 , pp. 1-265.
- ^ A b Tyson R. Roberts: Systematic revision of the old world freshwater fish family Notopteridae. Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwater. Vol. 2, No. 4, 1992, pp. 361-383 (Ref. 7431).
- ↑ a b Chitala blanci on Fishbase.org (English)
- ↑ Chitala blanci in the Catalog of Fishes (English)