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Balaram Mahalder (1) Frants Lehmann (1) Mostafa Hossain (2) Beta Mahatvaraj (2)

Description: Elongated and compressed body. Mouth large and oblique. Teeth in villiform bands on the jaws. Maxillary barbels extends slightly below the posterior border of the eyes. Mandibular pair very short, almost equal to one eye diameter. Anal long, inserted well behind the dorsal fin with 66-71 branched rays. Pectoral spine serrated on its inner edge. Caudal deeply forked. Habitat: Inhabits clear as well as muddy rivers, streams, ponds and lakes. Colouration: Silvery-grey with a faint shoulder spot. Body cloudy all over with black dots. Aquarium Care: They adapt well to captivity and can be kept along with other fishes such as barbs that are too big to swallow. Provide them with a tank with a lot of hiding places as they prefer the darker areas of the aquarium and are mostly active only during feeding time (Meenkaran, 2023). Diet: They can be fed any bottom-sinking food which is rich in protein whether dry, fresh or frozen (Meenkaran, 2023). Remarks: This species was listed as an endangered species in the Red List of IUCN Bangladesh (2000) due to loss of habitats and over-exploitation.

Pabda Catfish

Silurus pabda, Silurus (Callichrus) vittatus

Siluridae

Asia: Brahmaputra and Ganges River basins, India and Bangladesh; Pakistan. Type locality: Ponds and rivers of Bengal.

25.0cm. (10ins)

21-27°C (69-81F)

6.0-7.0.

Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2007. Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa 1418:1-628.
Meenkaran, pers comm. 2023.
Rahman, Ataur; Chowdhury, W. Gawsia; Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh. Vol.23. Freshwater Fishes. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. 300p.