Contributions to the Study of Bagrid Fishes (Siluroidea: Bagridae). 10. Systematic Position of Pimelodus chandramara HAMILTON with Description of a New Genus
✍ Scribed by K. C. Jayaram
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1972
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 392 KB
- Volume
- 57
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1434-2944
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✦ Synopsis
820
1 . I n t r o d u c t i o n HAMILTON (1822) described Pimelodus chandramara from the Atrai River in East Bengal. He considered the species as allied to his Pimelodus rama and differentiated it by the number of barbels and colouration. SWAINSON (1839) considered the species as belonging to his genus Xilonia. BLYTH (1860) after examining HAMILTON'S MS drawings (unpublished) in the Asiatic Society, Calcutta, pointed out that the figure of P.chandramara showed six barbels contrary to two as stated by HAMILTON in his description. He assigned the species as such, to his genus Batasio. HORA (1929) reproduced this illustration confirming BLYTH'S finding. GUNTHER (1864) doubtfully referred the species t o Mystus SCOPOLI. DAY (1877) synonymised it under Leiocassis rama (BLEE-KER). SHAW and SHEBBEARE (1938) made no mention of this species. HORA and LAW (1941), and HORA (1948) considered it as referable to Rama rama (BLEEKER). JAYARAM (1966) considered it as a probable species of Rita BLEEKER.
The systematic position of the species thus remained ambiguous, mainly because none of the aforesaid ichthyologists, excepting HAMILTON, seem to have ever seen a specimen of P . chandramara. No type specimens of this species are known to be preserved in any World museums.
During the course of a field survey in February, 1970, 14 specimens of P. chandramara were collected by me from within the range of its type locality, in North Bengal. The speckled colouration, and general facies easily identify the material as P. chandramara. A brief note regarding its discovery has already been published (JAYARAM, 1972).
2. S y s t e m a t i c p o s i t i o n
The material collected and identified as P . chandramara show the following conspicuous features. The eyes are large, low and visible from below the ventral surface. The barbels are slender and shorter than head length. The pectoral