Catla: Catla catla

 

Synonyms:

Cyprinus catla: Hamilton-Buchanan, 1822

Catla buchanani: Day, 1878, 1889; Munro, 1955;

Catla catla: Jhingran, 1966; Bhuiyan, 1964; Shaw and Shebbeare, 1937; Rahman, 1974; Menon, 1974

 

Common name: Catla (English name)

Bangla name:  Catla, Katal

 

Taxonomic position:

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Osteichthyes

Order: Cypriniformes

Family: Cyprinidae

Sub family: Cyprininae

Genus: Catla

Species: Catla catla

 

Morphological description:

Compressed body is comparatively short with broad head. Mouth is wide, upper lip is thin and covered by skin of snout. Lower lip is moderately thick, broad and continuous post labial grove. Dorsal profile is more convex than that of abdomen. Gill opening is circular and body deepest at origin of dorsal (Talwar and Jhingran, 2001). Pectoral fins are long and extend to pelvic fins. Scales are conspicuously large, lateral line complete with 40-43 scales. In life, its colour is grayish on back and flanks, silvery-white below, fins dusky.

 

Fin formula:

D. 3-4/14-16, P₁. 1/20, P₂. 1/8, A. 3/5

D. 2/15-16, P₁. 18-20, P₂. 9, A. 3/5 (Rahman, 2005)

D. 3-4/14-16, P₁. 21, P₂. 9, A. 3/5 (Bhuiyan, 1964)

 

Scales number on the lateral line series is 40 to 43. Scales number mentioned by other writers are as follows, 40-43 scales above the lateral line series (Rahman, 2005), 40-45 scales above the lateral series (Talwar and Jhingran, 2001).

 

Habit and habitat:

Catla is one of the renowned and the fastest growing of major carps. This fish is found in ponds, lakes, ox-bow lakes, beels, streems, rivers, canals etc. It is non-predatory and its feeding is restricted to the surface and mid waters. It is abundantly found in the Buriganga, Padma, Meghna and other principal rivers of Bangladesh. It resides in fresh or brackish water, being found within the tidal influences (Day, 1989).

 

Breeding time:

This fish Breeds during summer and rainy season. Eggs are not floatable, non-adhesive and yellowish in colour (Shafi and Quddus, 1982).

 

Economic importance:

Catla is a cultured and highly growing species, if it get proper food it may be weighted at 4 kg at only one year. Very delicious food and supply a huge amount of protein for Bangladeshis people. So, its demand is extensive. According to Basu et. al., (1993), its flesh contains 19.2% crude protein, 2-5% fat and 70% water. According to Ghosh et al. (1933), per garmme of its liver-oil contain 583 IV vitamin-A (Rahman, 2005).

 

Ecological role:

According to Ahmed et. al,.(1945), it is not so much a bottom feeder as rohu. As a result surface and side vegetation are very helpful for its rapid growth and increase water quality (Shafi and Quddus, 1982).

 

Marketing status:

Market price is varied between 110-120 Tk/kg.

 

 

References:

Bhuiyan, A.L. 1964. Fishes of Dacca. Asiatic Soc. Pakistan, Publ. No. 13, Dacca. p. 31.

Day, F. 1878. Fishes of India. William Dowson and Sons., London. p. 552.

Day, F. 1889. Fishes. Fauna. Brit. India. William Dowson and Sons., London. 1-2: p. 287.

Hamilton-Buchanan. 1822. Fishes of the Ganges. Archibald Constable and Company, Edinburgh. p. 277.

Menon, 1974. Fishes of the Himalayan and Indo-Gangetic Plains.p. 23.

Munro, I.S. 1955. The marine and Freshwater fishes of Ceylon, Dept. of External Affairs, Canbara Publication. XVI, pp. 1-340.

Rahman, A.K.A. 1974. Freshwater Fisheries Research Station Bulletin No. 1. p. 201.

Rahman, A.K.A. 2005. Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh. The Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka. p. 138.

Shaw, G.E. and Shebbeare, E.O. 1937. Fishes of Northern Bengal. J. Royal Asiat. Soc. Bengal Science. p. 44.

Talwar, P.K. and Jhingran, A.G. 2001. Inland Fishes of India and Adjacent countries. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi. p. 163.

 

Visitors' Opinions