Chitala chitala

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Chitala chitala
Chitala chitala Thomas.jpg

Chitala chitala

Systematics
Overcohort : Osteoglossomorpha (Osteoglossomorpha)
Order : Bony tongues (Osteoglossiformes)
Subordination : Knifefish-like (Notopteroidei)
Family : Old World Knifefish (Notopteridae)
Genre : Chitala
Type : Chitala chitala
Scientific name
Chitala chitala
( Hamilton , 1822)

Chitala chitala ( Syn .: Notopterus chitala ) is a freshwater fish from the old world knife fish family (Notopteridae). It occurs on the Indian subcontinent in the Indus , Ganges , Brahmaputra and Mahanadi . Itis absent in the Irrawaddy , Saluen and other Burmese rivers. Reports of occurrences in Thailand and Indochina are based on confusion with Chitala ornata , those from Malaysia and Indonesia on confusion with Chitala lopis .

features

Chitala chitala becomes a maximum of 80 cm long. As with all knife fish, the long anal fin, which has grown together with the caudal fin, is the main driving organ. The fin has 117 to 127 fin rays . The dorsal fin is supported by nine to ten fin rays. More than 200 scales run along the sides of the body in a central longitudinal row. Chitala chitala can be distinguished from Notopterus by the concave head profile and the taller body shape, which is very plump with age. Moreover, in chitala Chitala still tiny pelvic fins present. Another difference is the scales on the gill cover, which in Chitala are the same size as the body scales, while in Notopterus they are significantly larger. In contrast to C. ornata , Chitala chitala never has eye spots, in contrast to C. blanci and C. lopis the black spots on the base of the pectoral fin are absent. Young fish are chocolate-brown, sub-grown velvety black-brown and adult fish are silvery with speckled unpaired fins. Both young and adult specimens of Chitala chitala can have golden or silvery shimmering stripes on the upper side of the body.

Way of life

Chitala chitala lives in rivers, canals, lakes and ponds in the lowlands. It feeds on insects, molluscs , crustaceans and smaller fish. The fish spawn once a year between May and August. The females usually lay their eggs on sunken pieces of wood. The clutch is guarded by the male, protected against spawning predators and fanned with water.

Use and endangerment

Chitala chitala is used as a food fish in its homeland. The IUCN classifies the species as Near Threatened .

literature

Web links

Commons : Chitala chitala  - collection of images, videos and audio files