Tengara mystus, Mystus tengara (Hamilton, 1822)

Systematic position
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray- finned fish)
Order: Siluriformes (Catfishes)
Family: Bagridae (Bagrid catfishes)
Genus: Mystus
Species: M. tengara

Synonyms
Macrones tengara (Hamilton, 1822)
Pimelodus carcio Hamilton, 1822
Pimelodus tengara Hamilton, 1822

Common/local names

English name: Tengara mystus

India: Tinggaray, Singorah, Tengara, Tengana, Kuttahrah, Tinggarah, Tengara and choto tengra (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991)

Bangladesh: Bajari tengra (বাজারি টেংরা), Bujuri tengra (বুজুরি টেংরা), Choto tengra (ছোট টেংরা) and Guitta tengra (গুইট্টা টেংরা).

Distribution: Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangalesh (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). Bangladesh Assam, North India and the Panjab (Bhuiyan, 1964).

Conservation status: Non threatened in Bangladesh (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000).

Morphology: Body elongated and slightly compressed. Head depressed. Dorsal spine long upto head keep out the head. Pectoral spine with 10 to13 denticulations (Rahman, 1989). Pectoral spine stronger than dorsal spine, used as offence organ and injure occurred by it is very painful (Bhuiyan, 1964; Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). 4-5 longitudinal bands along sides (Galib, 2008). Adipose short. Upper lobe of caudal fin longer. Body color yellow  or brown with a dark spot on shoulder.  Barbels 4 pairs. Mouth terminal.

Head 21.1% SL and 19.4% TL. Height 22.8% SL and 21% TL. Eye 25% HL (Galib, 2008). Head 2.8-3.3 in standard, 3.8-4.5 in total length, Height 2.5-3.3 in standard, 3.3-4.3 in total length , Eye 3.5 – 4.5 in head (Rahman, 1989). Eye 4-4.5 in head (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).

Fin formula-
D I 7; A ii-iii 9-10; P I 8; V i 5 (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991)
D. I/7; P1. I/8; P2.6; A. 10-139 (Rahman, 1989)
B. x-xi; D1. 1/7; D2. o; P. 1/8; V.6; A 11-13(2-3/8-10); C. 19 (Bhuiyan, 1964)

Maximum lengths reported: 7 cm (Bhuiyan, 1964) and 6.2 cm (Rahman, 1989).

Habitat and niche: This species usually found in weedy, sandy and muddy places of the pools, streams and river in the rainy season (Bhuiyan, 1964).

Recorded from Bookbhara Baor, Jessore (Mohsin et al., 2009); Chalan Beel (Galib et al., 2009); Padma river, Rajshahi (Samad et al., 2010); Saldu Beel, Tangail (Saha and Hossain, 2002) and Shakla Beel, Brahmanbaria (Ahmed et al., 2004).

Economic importance: Used as food fish in Bangladesh. It is very good to taste and useful in calcium deficiency (Bhuiyan, 1964).

Harvesting and marketing: Dip net (dharma jal), Push net (thela jal), wucha (bamboo trap) used for fishing (Bhuiyan, 1964).

Remarks: It is closely connected to Mystus vittatus in the color pattern. But distinguished from the median longitudinal groove on head which reaches the base of occipital process. The young of both is very difficult to identify (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).

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REFERENCES

Ahmed KKU, Hasan RR, Ahamed SU, Ahmed T and Mustafa G. 2004. Ecology of Shakla beel (Brahmanbaria), Bangladesh, Bangladesh J. Fish. Res. 8(2): 101-111.

Bhuiyan AL. 1964. Fishes of Dacca, Asiat. Soc. Pakistan, Pub. 1, No. 13, Dacca, pp. 60-61.

Galib SM, Samad MA, Mohsin ABM, Flowra FA and Alam MT. 2009 Present Status of Fishes in the Chalan Beel- the Largest Beel (Wetland) of Bangladesh, Int. J. Ani. Fish. Sci. 2(3):214-218.

Galib SM. 2008.  A Study on Fish Diversity and Fishing Gears of Chalan Beel with Reference to Preservation of Catches, Honors dissertation submitted to the Department of Fisheries, University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh, 172 pp.

Hamilton F. 1822. An account of the fishes found in the river Ganges and its branches. Edinburgh & London. An account of the fishes found in the river Ganges and its branches.: i-vii + 1-405, Pls. 1-39.

IUCN Bangladesh. 2000. Red book of threatened fishes of Bangladesh, IUCN- The world conservation union. xii+116 pp.

Mohsin ABM, Hasan MM and Galib SM. 2009. Fish Diversity of Community Based Fisheries Managed Oxbow Lake (Bookbhara Baor) in Jessore, Bangladesh, J. Sci. Foundation 7(1): 121-125.

Rahman AKA. 1989. Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, 1st edition, Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, p. 202.

Saha BK and Hossain MA. 2002. Saldu Beel fishery of Tangail, Bang. J. Zool., 30(2): 187-194.

Samad MA, Asaduzzaman M, Galib SM, Kamal MM and Haque MR. 2010. Availability and Consumer Preference of Small Indigenous Species (SIS) of the River Padma at Rajshahi, Bangladesh, Int. J BioRes. 1(5): 27-31.

Talwar PK and Jhingran AG. 1991. Inland Fishes of India and Adjacent Countries, Vol. II, Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi-Calcutta, pp. 571-572.

 

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