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Erethistes horai (Misra, 1976)

Image contributors to this species:

Jim Makin (1) Christian Hauzar (2) Beta Mahatvaraj (1)

ScotCat Sources:

Other Sources:

Relevant Information:

This is one of the larger species in this genus of mothcats as can be seen in the common name. Habitat: It is known from the middle and upper Brahmaputra River drainage in northeastern India. Aquarium Care: A tank with a sandy bottom and rounded stones and pebbles with a good water flow as befits an asian hillstream setup. Good water quality is a must for this family. Keep the water temperature on the cool side of a tropical aquarium. Tank mates such as mediam sized barbs will make good tankmates. Diet: Prefers live foods such as bloodworm, grindle worm, white worm and daphnia. Etymology: Erithistes, Etymology not explained, presumably erethizon, porcupine and–istes, adjectival suffix, i.e., porcupine-like, referring to strong and serrated dorsal and pectoral-fin spines. The species epithet horai is in honour of ichthyologist Sunder Lal Hora (1896-1955), Zoological Survey of India, whose figured example (1950) of H. hara probably served as a basis of this species.presumably a local Bengali name for this catfish in India. Remarks: Still listed as Hara horai in Fishbase and a few other online sources but this name is treated as a synomyn in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes.

Common Name:

Elongate Moth Catfish

Synonyms:

Hara horai

Family:

Sisoridae

Distribution:

Asia: Terai and Duars in north Bengal, India.

Size:

7.0cm. (2¾ins)

Temp:

18-24°C (63 -75°F)

p.H.

6.5-7.2.

IUCN Red List

Although we do not have information on the population and its trends for this species, Hara hara appears to be a relatively common fish wherever it occurs. Coupled with the fact that collection for the ornamental fish trade is currently occurring at a level where it is not projected to adversely affect the global population, this species is assessed here as Least Concern, although future monitoring of harvest levels and the identification of any potential threats to its habitat is probably required, and also needs updating, (IUCN 2010).

Reference:

Adrian Taylor: pers. comm.
Ng, H.H. 2010. Hara horai. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010.
The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database © Christopher Scharpf.

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

Erethistes horai

Erethistes horai

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