263
Sexual Dimorphism: Male with a welldeveloped elongated urinogenital papilla which
in female is very small.
Maximum Size
15.5 cm (20.0 cm, Soni and Srivastava 1979 ).
Distribution
Uttarakhand
Garhwal Division: Dehradun district; Kumaon
Division: Nainital district. Rajaji National Park.
India
Generally confi ned to northern India. Also found
in Andhra Pradesh (Godavari estuary), Chhattisgarh
(Mahanadi headwaters), Karnataka (Ombatta
swamp), Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu (Moyar
and Bhavani rivers) and West Bengal.
Elsewhere
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, Myanmar,
Nepal, Pakistan and Thailand.
Habitat and Ecology
Found in lakes, tanks, ponds, rivers and canals.
Oviparous, distinct pairing, possibly like other
members of the same family.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List, least concern.
Remarks
Of minor fi shery and aquarium interest. Generally
caught with other fi shes from fi shing operations.
40. Mystus vittatus (Bloch, 1794)
Silurus vittatus Bloch, 1794. Ichthyol. Hist. nat .,
11 : 40, pl. 371, fi g. 2 (type locality: Tranquebar,
Tamil Nadu).
Mystus vittatus Husain, 2003 . Faun. Asan
Wetland, Wetland Ecosystem Series 5 : 23–26
(seepage nala, Asan River above Kunja Grant
and below its barrage).
English Names
Asian Striped Catfi sh, Striped Dwarf Catfi sh,
Tengara Mystus.
Local Names
Kattarah, Tengan, Tengra, Tengar, Tengara.
Localities Surveyed
Asan River above Kunja Grant, below its barrage
at Dhalipur; Herbertpur, Bairagiwala and
Partitpur villages near Herbertpur; seepage nala
below barrage.
Diagnostic Characters
D. 1/7, P. 1/7–9, V. 1/5, A. 2–3/7–10, C. 15–17.
Maxillary barbels extending beyond the pelvic
fi ns, often to the end of the anal fi n; occipital process reaching the basal bone of dorsal fi n; median
longitudinal groove on the head may or may not
be extending the base of occipital process; dorsal
spine weak, fi nely serrated on its inner edge, also
sometimes slightly serrated on its anterior upper
edge; adipose fi n short, inserted much behind the
rayed dorsal fi n but anterior to the anal fi n; pectoral fi n spine strong with about 16 coarse teeth.
Body grey silvery, its lateral side with 4–5 pale
blue or dark brown to black longitudinal bands.
Sexual Dimorphism: Male with a welldeveloped urinogenital papilla and a spearshaped thickening at the base of the caudal fi n.
Female with normal papilla but with spheroidal
swelling between the pelvic and anal fi ns.
Maximum Size
21.0 cm (standard length).
Distribution
Uttarakhand
Garhwal Division: Dehradun, Haridwar and
Pauri districts; Kumaon Division: Nainital district. Corbett Tiger Reserve and Rajaji National
Park.
India
Throughout. Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh,
Odisha (Chilka Lake), Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar
Pradesh, West Bengal and Western Ghats.
Elsewhere
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan
and Sri Lanka.
14 Fish Fauna of Asan River
Sexual Dimorphism: Male with a welldeveloped elongated urinogenital papilla which
in female is very small.
Maximum Size
15.5 cm (20.0 cm, Soni and Srivastava 1979 ).
Distribution
Uttarakhand
Garhwal Division: Dehradun district; Kumaon
Division: Nainital district. Rajaji National Park.
India
Generally confi ned to northern India. Also found
in Andhra Pradesh (Godavari estuary), Chhattisgarh
(Mahanadi headwaters), Karnataka (Ombatta
swamp), Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu (Moyar
and Bhavani rivers) and West Bengal.
Elsewhere
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, Myanmar,
Nepal, Pakistan and Thailand.
Habitat and Ecology
Found in lakes, tanks, ponds, rivers and canals.
Oviparous, distinct pairing, possibly like other
members of the same family.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List, least concern.
Remarks
Of minor fi shery and aquarium interest. Generally
caught with other fi shes from fi shing operations.
40. Mystus vittatus (Bloch, 1794)
Silurus vittatus Bloch, 1794. Ichthyol. Hist. nat .,
11 : 40, pl. 371, fi g. 2 (type locality: Tranquebar,
Tamil Nadu).
Mystus vittatus Husain, 2003 . Faun. Asan
Wetland, Wetland Ecosystem Series 5 : 23–26
(seepage nala, Asan River above Kunja Grant
and below its barrage).
English Names
Asian Striped Catfi sh, Striped Dwarf Catfi sh,
Tengara Mystus.
Local Names
Kattarah, Tengan, Tengra, Tengar, Tengara.
Localities Surveyed
Asan River above Kunja Grant, below its barrage
at Dhalipur; Herbertpur, Bairagiwala and
Partitpur villages near Herbertpur; seepage nala
below barrage.
Diagnostic Characters
D. 1/7, P. 1/7–9, V. 1/5, A. 2–3/7–10, C. 15–17.
Maxillary barbels extending beyond the pelvic
fi ns, often to the end of the anal fi n; occipital process reaching the basal bone of dorsal fi n; median
longitudinal groove on the head may or may not
be extending the base of occipital process; dorsal
spine weak, fi nely serrated on its inner edge, also
sometimes slightly serrated on its anterior upper
edge; adipose fi n short, inserted much behind the
rayed dorsal fi n but anterior to the anal fi n; pectoral fi n spine strong with about 16 coarse teeth.
Body grey silvery, its lateral side with 4–5 pale
blue or dark brown to black longitudinal bands.
Sexual Dimorphism: Male with a welldeveloped urinogenital papilla and a spearshaped thickening at the base of the caudal fi n.
Female with normal papilla but with spheroidal
swelling between the pelvic and anal fi ns.
Maximum Size
21.0 cm (standard length).
Distribution
Uttarakhand
Garhwal Division: Dehradun, Haridwar and
Pauri districts; Kumaon Division: Nainital district. Corbett Tiger Reserve and Rajaji National
Park.
India
Throughout. Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh,
Odisha (Chilka Lake), Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar
Pradesh, West Bengal and Western Ghats.
Elsewhere
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan
and Sri Lanka.
14 Fish Fauna of Asan River