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Mystus tengara (Hamilton, 1822)

Image contributors to this species:

Hayath (2) Native Fishes of Bangladesh (1) Northern Aquatics (1) Abhisek Mishra (1)

ScotCat Sources:

Other Sources:

Relevant Information:

Habitat: Found in flowing and standing waters. Adults inhabit rivers and ponds in plains and submontane regions. Often mistaken for the smaller M. carcio and M. vittatus but M. vittatus has a longer median groove and the stripes are more prominent. It has also a low head and body and M. tengara occurs mostly in the northern parts of India. Reproduction: Oviparous, distinct pairing possibly like other members of the same family. Colouration: Light brown on top turning dull yellow on sides and beneath. About five parallel longitudinal stripes on either side of body present. Occasionally a dark shoulder spot may also be seen. Etymology: The genus name Mystus: "Mystax" meaning whiskered (hair on the upper lip) Mystus was first used by Belon in 1553 to describe all fish with whiskers. The specific name tengara: From the native 'ting ga rah'.

Common Name:

Pyjama catfish

Synonyms:

Macrones tengara, Mystus tengra, Pimelodus carcio, Pimelodus tengara

Family:

Bagridae

Distribution:

Asia: Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Reported from Afghanistan

Size:

10.0cm. (4ins)

Temp:

22-28°C (71-83°F)

p.H.

6.5-7.2.

Reference:

Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2009. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (07/2009).
Jayaram, K.C. Catfishes of India, Narendera Publishing House (India) 383 p
ScotCat Factsheet no.162. Dec. 2009.

Family: Bagridae Back to Ident-A-Cat Click on Thumbnails

Mystus tengara

Mystus tengara

Mystus tengara
Head view

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