Sisor rabdophorus
Hamilton, 1822 |
ur Factsheet going into the month of August 2017 takes us to the
Indian and Asian family of the Sisoridae and namely the Sisor
genera. There is six species in this genus, Sisor barakensis
from Manipur, India, S. chennuah from the Brahmaputra
River drainage in India, S. pakistanicus from the River
Chenab in Pakistan, our factsheet of the month S.
rabdophorus from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, S. rheophilus
from Ganges River basin in India, and S. torosus
also from the Ganges River basin in India.
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Sisor
rabdophorus |
Sisor rabdophorus
was originally described from the rivers of Bengal and Bihar
(Hamilton 1822). Previously thought to be widely distributed
in the Brahmaputra, Ganges and Indus river drainages, this
species was shown to be more restricted in distribution
(the lower Ganges drainage) by Ng (2003), who designated
a neotype (from the Bhagirathi River, a distributary of
the Ganges in West Bengal) for this species. It is likely
that material identified as this species from the Indus
River drainage is not conspecific.
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Sisor rabdophorus -
head view
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Sisor rabdophorus -
line drawings
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Sisor rabdophorus -
locations
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Sisor typically inhabit large
rivers with fine sandy bottoms and fairly swift current.
Sisor rabdophorus is a peculiarly
modified catfish confined to some of the tributaries of the upper
reaches of north Indian rivers. Its most striking features are
the presence of a series of bony plates on the back and a very
long upper caudal filament.
Sisor rabdophorus has fewer lateral
line ossicles (66–70 vs 72–79) and serrations on the
anterior (27–29 vs 29–49) and posterior (6–15
vs 12–22) edges of the pectoral spine compared to the other
species. It further differs from S. chennuah and S.
torosus in having a more slender body (body depth at anus
5.0–5.4% SL vs 5.6–7.8), and from S. rheophilus
in having a smaller eye (9.4–12.2% HL vs 13.2–16.3)
and a shorter snout (53.9–55.7% HL vs 56.2–60.3).
Body colour: Blackish above and lighter below.
| Aquarium
Care |
A fine sandy substrate
is very much preferred, since these fish will spend a considerable
amount of time burrowing into the substrate. This species
is sensitive to temperature and oxygen levels, so the water
should be on the cool side and well-oxygenated, preferably
with a moderate to strong current. Additional tank decor
can be in the form of large driftwood and/or rocks.
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| Compatibility |
A peaceful species that should thrive
in a hillstream-type biotope tank.
Not reported
| Sexual
Differences |
Not recorded.
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| Diet |
Better to feed frozen and live foods as
they do not seem to feed on normal aquarium fare.
| Glossary
of Terms |
Neotype:
Specimen which replaces Holotype when lost.
Caudal fin: The tail.
Lateral line:
A sensory line, along the sides of
the body.
Pectoral
fin: The paired
fins just behind the head.
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| Etymology |
Sisor:
Local name for the fish in Bengal
and Bihar
rabdophorus:
rhabdos:
From the Greek meaning rod and phorus: meaning
bearer in reference to the long filamentous extension of
the uppermost caudal finray.
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| References |
Froese, R. and D. Pauly.
Editors. 2009. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication.
www.fishbase.org, version (01/2011).
Ng, H.H., 2003. A revision of the south Asian sisorid
catfish genus Sisor (Teleostei: Siluriformes). J. Nat. Hist. 37:2871-2883.
Ng, H.H. 2010. Sisor rabdophorus. The IUCN Red
List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T166408A6202653. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T166408A6202653.en.
Ng, H.H. Practical Fishkeeping June 13, 2016.
Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh.
Vol.23. Freshwater Fishes. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. 300p.
© Beta Mahatvaraj @
R. Mintern - Day, Francis
(1878) The Fishes of India. Volume 2. |
