| Humpback mahseer | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Cyprinidae |
| Genus: | Hypselobarbus |
| Species: | H. mussullah |
| Binomial name | |
| Hypselobarbus mussullah (Sykes, 1839) | |
| Synonyms | |
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The humpback mahseer (Hypselobarbus mussullah) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish from the Indian endemic genus Hypselobarbus in the carp and minnow family Cyprinidae.
The humpback mahseer is a large cyprinid that has a laterally compressed body which is just over a quarter as deep as it is long (standard length). [2] with a steep dorsal profile forming an obvious hump which runs to the base of the dorsal fin and then slopes gently away to the caudal fin. It has a narrow, thick lipped mouth which is downward facing with two pairs of short barbels behind the mouth. [3] One pair is rostral and one pair is maxillary and this is one of the features that distinguishes it from otherwise similar species. [4] The dorsal fin origin is just in front of the origin of the pelvic fins [2] and the dorsal fin is concave on its upper margin, with a strong, smooth and stiff spine. [3] The caudal fin is deeply forked with small tubercules on the rays. [2] The overall colour is brown with a paler abdomen and it may have dark tips to the fins. [3] It can grow to a maximum total length of 150 cm (59 in) and a weight of 90 kg (200 lb). [4] However, the rod and reel caught record fish was roughly 59 kg (130 lb) and measured 169 cm (67 in) in length while a fish caught by other means was 93 kg (205 lb) and 183 cm (72 in). [5]
The fish was originally described by Sykes as having these meristic features:
Pectoral fins of 16 rays ; ventral of 9 rays ; dorsal fin of 12 rays, including the first double ray; anal fin of 8 rays, including the first double ray : tail forked, of 24 rays, including the short rays at each exterior side of the insertion of the tail : a remarkable projecting prominence between the upper lip and nostrils, giving to the fish the appearance of being Roman-nosed
— Lieut.-Col. W. H. Sykes [6]
which has been instrumental in clearing the confusion between Hypselobarbus mussulah and Tor remadevii , the lateral line scale count is shown as 42, which clearly demonstrates this fish is not a mahseer (member of genus Tor). [7]
The humpback mahseer is endemic to the Western Ghats in southern India. [1] It has been recorded from the Krishna and possibly the Godavari in the states of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Kerala. It occurs in isolated pockets [3] and the species' distribution is extremely fragmented and the total area of the species range is probably less than 500 km2 (190 sq mi). [1]
The humpback mahseer shows a preference for the deeper stretches of clear, fast flowing large jungle streams and rivers in upland areas. [1] It has an omnivorous diet and feeds on fish, crustaceans, molluscs, frogs, fruits and algae.
The humpback mahseer is a sought after fish for anglers from the British colonial times to the present although the actual species involved was not determined as the original description of Barbus mussulah was not considered definitive. The species was redescribed as Hypselobarbus mussullah in the 1990s and 2016 and the species is the type specimen of the genus Hypselobarbus. When this species was classified under Tor mussulah, it was considered synonymous with the orange-finned mahseer (Tor remadevii), a highly endangered species endemic to the Kaveri basin, unlike the humpback which is endemic to the Krishna basin. When the humpback was reclassified to Hypselobarbus, the orange-finned mahseer was split from it for this reason. [8]
Tor is a genus of cyprinid fish commonly known as mahseers.
Mahseer is the common name used for the genera Tor, Neolissochilus, Naziritor and Parator in the family Cyprinidae (carps). The name is, however, more often restricted to members of the genus Tor. The range of these fish is from Vietnam in the east and China in the north, through Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia, and across southern Asia including the countries of India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh within the Indian Peninsula, plus Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Afghanistan. They are commercially important game fish, as well as highly esteemed food fish. Mahseer fetch high market price, and are potential candidate species for aquaculture. Several of the larger species have suffered severe declines, and are now considered threatened due to pollution, habitat loss, overfishing and increasing concern about the impacts of unregulated release of artificially bred stock of a very limited number of species.
The clipper barb or Congo barb is a freshwater and brackish tropical fish belonging to the minnow family (Cyprinidae). Its native habitat is from Côte d'Ivoire through the Chad Basin to Nigeria and Cameroon. It was originally described as Barbus callipterus by Boulenger in 1907.
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Tor khudree, the Deccan mahseer, Khudree mahseer, or black mahseer, is a freshwater fish of the carp family found in major rivers and reservoirs of India and Sri Lanka. Found throughout India, following large-scale introductions of artificially-bred fish across the country, but found of the largest size and in the greatest abundance in mountain or rocky streams.
The fish as originally described by Sykes in his November 1838 paper 'On the Fishes of the Dukhun' as Barbus khudree, is a silvery-bluish coloured fish, with blood red fins or fins tipped with a bluish tinge. The type locality is the Mula-Mutha River close to the Indian city of Pune, a part of the Krishna River basin.
Although there have been efforts to artificially breed this mahseer since the early1970's, there is no way to determine if these fish are Tor khudree, as the populations within the type locality have gone extinct.
The Italian barbel is a species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae, nearly related to the common barbel Barbus barbus. The name barbel derived from the Latin barba, meaning beard, a reference to the two pairs of barbels, a longer pair pointing forwards and slightly down positioned, on the side of the mouth.
The headwater chub is a species of fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is found in Arizona and New Mexico.
Hypselobarbus is a genus of fish in the family Cyprinidae endemic to India.
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Tor douronensis, also known as Labeobarbus douronensis, is a species of ray-finned fish of the family Cyprinidae in the genus Tor. This Asian fresh water river carp can be discovered in southern Thailand, east to Vietnam and south to Indonesia. The species is known from the Chao Phraya and Mekong rivers.
This fish has been attributed to Valenciennes however, in his original notes, he claims that the fish he described "formed part of the collection made in Java by Kuhl and Van Hesselt; they named it Dourr." Certainly, the type locality is Java, in Indonesia and the holotype is lodged at Bogor Zoology Museum.
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Squalius malacitanus, commonly known as the Málaga chub, is a species of freshwater fish in the carp family Cyprinidae. It was first isolated from the Guadalmina River in Málaga, hence its name. It is considered a vulnerable species. S. malacitanus differs from its cogenerate species by having 7–8 branched rays in its dorsal fin, 8 branched rays in the anal lateral line; the number of scale rows above its lateral line; possessing 3 scale rows below its lateral line; 38 vertebrae, 21 abdominal, and 17 caudal; large fourth and fifth infraorbital bones; maxilla without a pointed anterior process; the middle of its frontal bone being narrow, as well as its neurocranium bone; the lower branch of its pharyngeal bone is rather long; and the shortness of the inferior lamina of its urohyal bone.
B. Madhusoodana Kurup is an Indian fisheries researcher, academic and administrator. He is the Founder Vice-Chancellor of Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), Cochin and also served as the third Vice Chancellor of Shri Venkateshwara University, Gajraula, Uttar Pradesh. He has established and successfully developed the first Fisheries and Ocean Sciences University in the country. He did his postdoc from Fish Culture and Fisheries division, Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands. He served as UGC Professor (Fisheries) at Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) for over eighteen years.
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