Finescale razorbelly minnow: Salmostoma phulo

Synonyms:

Cyprinus phulo Hamilton, 1822, Fishes of the Ganges, p.262.

Chela phulo Day, 1878, Fishes of India. p.602.

Chela phulo Bhuiyan, 1964, Fishes of Dacca. p.47

Oxygaster phulo Rahman, 1974, Banglaesh J Zool.2(2). p.193.

Samostoma phulo phulo Banarescu, 1968, Rev. Roum. Biol.Zool.13(1). p. 5.

 

Common name: Finescale razorbelly minnow

Local name: Chela, phulo-chela

Taxonomy position:

Phylum- Chordata

Class-Oesteichthyes

Order- Cypriniformes

Family- Cyprinidae

Genus- Salmostoma

 

Fin formula:

D. 9(2/7);  P₁. 11;  P_2. 8;  A. 18-20(2/16-18). (Rahman, 2005)

 

Description of the species:

Elongated body is compressed laterally. Length of head is 5.7 to 5.7 and height of body is 4.3 to 4.6 of total length (Rahman, 1989). Eyes situated on the anterior part of head. Abdominal profile is cutting behind the base of the pectoral fin. The lower jaw extends up to the front margin of the orbit. Dorsal commence opposite the origin of the anal. Pectoral does not reach the pelvic, the end of the latter does not reach the anal. Caudal deeply forked, lower lobe longer. Lateral line is complete and curves gently downwards, with 99-112 scales (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). Body colour is silvery with a bright silvery lateral band. In preserved specimens the band appears dark. According to Day (1889), maximum length is recorded as more that 12 cm, whereas longest specimen in collection is found 8 cm from Barnai river.

 

Habit and Habitat:

This species is a surface feeder and available distributed in the study area. Various types of dip nets are used for its fishing.

 

Economic importance:

This fish is extensively used as food.

 

References:

Banarescu, 1968, Rev. Biol. (Zool). 13(1). 5 p.

Bhuiyan, A. L. 1964. Fishes of Dacca. Asiatic Society of Pakistan, Dacca. 48 pp.

Day, F. 1878. Fishes of India, being a natural history of fishes known to inhabit the seas and freshwaters of India, Burma and Ceylon. William Dawson & Sons Ltd., London, Vol. I: 778 pp.

Hamilton, F., 1822. An account of the fishes found in the river Ganges and its branches, Edinburgh & London, Fishes Ganges, 262 p.

Rahman, 1974, Banglaesh J Zool.2(2). p.193.

Rahman, A.K.A. 1989. Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh. The Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000. 364 pp.

Rahman, A.K.A. 2005. Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh (Second edition). The Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000. 394 pp.

Talwar, P. K. and Jhingran, A. G., 1991. Inland Fishes of India and Adjacent Countries. Volume 1 and 2. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi, Calcutta. 1158pp.

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