New Record of Heteropneustes Microps (Gunther) (Clariidae: Heteropneustidae) from Western Ghats Rivers, India

3 Pages·1999·1.6 MB·

by  M Arunachalam

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
the two locations (26.3° C intheriverand26.9° FishCommunity’;thispaperisapartofthestudy
C in the stream). High flow rate was measured carried out under the project. We thank Dr. K.
intheriver(50cm/sec)whileitwaslow(15 cm/ Rema Devi, ZSI, Southern Regional Station,
sec) in the stream. The riparian vegetation was Chennai, forconfirmingthe identificationofthe
dominated by grasses and shrubs with little species and the Principal and Head of the
canopyvalue. Thestreamisverynarrow,having Department of Zoology, Mar Thoma College,
m
a width of2-3 m, while the river is 120 wide. Perumbavoor, Ernakulam, for laboratory
Detritus, mud and sand were the dominant facilities and encouragement. We also thank
substrates in the stream, whereas in the main Mr. V.O. Varghese, laboratory assistant for his
riverthemainsubstratewasbedrock(80%)with help in the field.
mud and sand. P. boro was reported from the
lowland area. At the study site, the substratum December 2, 1998 M. JOHN GEORGE*
was dominated by detritus and mud which may K. RAJU THOMAS
be suitable for the survival ofthis species. C.R. BIJU
C.R. AJITHKUMAR
Acknowledgements Bombay Natural History Society,
Hornbill House, SB. Singh Road
We thank the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Mumbai 400 023.
ServiceandMinistryofEnvironmentandForests *Mar Thoma Collegefor Women,
forsponsoringtheproject‘EcologyofHillstreams Perumbavoor, Ernakulam,
ofthe Western Ghats with special reference to Kerala 683 542.
References
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DehraDun. nat. Hist. Soc. 33: 347-379.
Day,F.(1878):TheFishesofIndia;beinganaturalhistory Remadevi,K.&T.J.Indra(1986): FishesofSilentValley.
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Travancore.Rec.Ind.Mus. 43:234-256. India and adjacent countries. Oxford and IBH
Hora,S.L.&K.K.Nair(1941):Newrecordsoffreshwater PublishingCo,NewDelhi.
NEW RECORD OF HETEROPNEUSTESMICROPS(GUNTHER)
18.
(CLARIIDAE: HETEROPNEUSTIDAE) FROM WESTERN GHATS RIVERS, INDIA
{With one text-figure)
The stinging catfish of the genus arethetwoknownspeciesofthis genus. Among
Heteropneustes are found in rivers, ponds and these, H.fossilishasawide rangeofdistribution
shallowwaterbodies. H.fossilis and//, microps and is very common along the Western Ghats.
330 JOURNAL, BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY, 96(2) AUG. 1999
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
Fig.l: A. Heteropneustesfossilis; B. Heteropneustes microps
H. microps is a Sri Lankan form which has a India (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). The present
very restricted distribution in India (Uttar record shows range extension to Western Ghats
PradeshandBihar).Duringarecentsurveyunder (thatto southernpartofTamilNadu andKerala
the Western Ghats fish diversity programme, a part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve) and
fewspecimensofH. micropswerecollectedfrom distribution affinities between Sri Lanka and
Mananthavadi puzha near Sulthan Boththery, a Western Ghats, India.
tributary of Kabini river (Cauvery basin),
Wynaad, Kerala (Nilgiri Biosphere), and froma Description
riverine wetland of Tamiraparani river at
Thimarajapuram, Tirunelveli dist., Tamil Nadu. DI-II/5; PI/5-6; VI/6; A+C 72-74. Body
H. microps was originallydescribedbyGunther deep, elongate and compressed, its depth 5.4
(1864) from Sri Lanka (type locality). In India, times in standard length. Head more depressed,
H. micropshasbeenreportedonlyfromDambuva broad and 7.4 times standard length; occipital
(near Yakvala), Uttar Pradesh and Maltidhar in extendingtobasalboneofdorsalfin.Eyessmall,
Khagaria District, Bihar (Datta Munshi and 6.1 times in head length. Mouth terminal, lips
Srivastava 1988). Current literature and reports well developed. Barbels four pairs. Dorsal fin
onCauvery(Day, 1967; Hora, 1942; Jeyaramet short, insertedjust behind the origin ofventral
al., 1982; Menon, 1992; Easa and Shaji, 1997) fin. Pectoralfinwithstrongspine,serratedalong
and Tamiraparani (Menon, 1992; Rema Devi, inneredge;thespineis2/3 aslongashead. Anal
1992; Arunachalam, 1996, Rema Devi et. al, fin with a long base, confluent with caudal fin.
1997) drainage systems show that this species There is no distinct notch between caudal and
was not reported from this region by earlier anal fin.
workers. Tillnowthepresentdistributionofthis GeographicaldistributioninIndia: This
speciesisSriLankaandBiharandUttarPradesh, species inhabits rivers, canals, ponds, tanks and
JOURNAL, BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY, 96(2), AUG. 1999 331
MISCELLANEOUSNOTES
shallowwaterbodiesofUttarPradeshandBihar. NewDelhi, forSeniorResearch Fellowship. We
We have recorded this species from Western are thankful to Dr. K. Rema Devi, Zoological
Ghats for the first time. Survey of India, Southern Regional Station,
Remarks: Heteropneustesmicropsdiffers Chennai, for her kind co-operation.
from the only other known species, H.fossilis,
in having a long-based anal fin which is October 3, 1998 M. ARUNACHALAM,
confluentwiththecaudalfin. Thereisnodistinct J.A. JOHNSON,
notch between anal and caudal fins (Fig. IB), A. MANIMEKALAN,
whereas inH.fossilis (Fig. 1A) anal and caudal SPK CentreforEnvironmentalSciences,
fins are separatedby a distinct notch. Manonmaniam Sundaranar University,
Alwarkurichi 627 412, TamilNadu.
Acknowledgements SRIDHAR
S.
CentreforAquaculture Research and
Two ofthe authors J. Antony Johnson (8/ Extension,
297(9)/98-EMR-I-SPS)andA.Manimekalan(9/ St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous)
652(7)/97-EMR-I-SPS) are grateful to Council Palayamkottai 627 002,
of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), TamilNadu.
References
Arunachalam, M. (1996): Inventoryofriverassociated Jeyaram,K.C.,T.V.Venkateswarlu&M.B.Ragunathan
wetlandsofTamiraparaniriversystem,Tirunelveli (1982):AsurveyoftheCauveryriversystemwith
District,TamilNadu.Finalreport,Manonmaniam amajoraccountoffish fauna. Occ. PapersZool.
SundaranarUniversity,pp.96. Surv. India36: 115pp, 12pis.
DattaMunshi,J.&M.P.Srivastava(1988):Naturalhistory Menon,A.G.K.(1992):Conservationoffreshwaterfishes
offishes and systematicsoffreshwater fishes of ofPeninsularIndia.Finalreport. 136pp.
India.NarendraPub.House,NewDelhi.403pp. Rema Devi, K. (1992): Fishes of Kalakad Wildlife
Day,F.(1967): OnsomefishesfromtheWynaad.Proc. Sanctuary,TirunelveliDistrict,TamilNadu,India,
Zool. Soc.London: 347-350. witharedescriptionofHoralabiosajoshuaiSilas.
&
Easa,P.S. C.P.Shaji(1997):Freshwaterfishdiversity Rec. Zoo. Surv.India92(1-4): 193-209.
inKeralapartoftheNilgiriBiosphereReserveCurr. RemaDevi,K.,T.J.Indra,M.B.Raghunathan,M.Mary
Sci. 73(2): 180-182. Bai & M.S. Ravichandran(1997): Ichthyofauna
Gunther,(1864): Car.fish.Brit.Mus. London5:31. oftheTamiraparaniriversystem,TamilNadu.Zoos
Hora, S.L. (1942): Fishes ofthe Mysore State and Print12(7): 1,2.
of the neighbouring hill ranges ofthe Nilgiris, Talwar,P.K.&A.G.Jhingran(1991):InlandFishes,Vols.
WynaadandCoorg.Rec.IndianMus. 44(2): 193- I&II.Oxford&IBHPublishingCo.Pvt.Ltd.,New
200. Delhi,India, 1097pp.
19. ADDITIONS TO THE FISH FAUNA OF PAMBARRIVER, KERALA
Pambar river is one of the three east elevenspeciesfromthesanctuarypartofPambar
flowing rivers inKerala. As apartofthe studies river. Inthepresentstudy,however,morespecies
on the hill-stream fishes along the eastern side werecollectedfromtheSanctuaryareaitselfand
oftheWesternGhats, asurveywasconductedin otherparts ofthe river (Tables 1 & 2).
the Pambar river and its tributaries in February, The present survey indicated that fifteen
1998. Earlier, Easa and Shaji (1996) studiedthe speciesbelongingtothreefamilieswereadditions
freshwater fishes of the Pambar river in the to the fish fauna ofPambarriver. Thus the total
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary area. They listed number ofspecies has increasedto 26.
332 JOURNAL, BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY, 96(2) AUG. 1999