Systematic position
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Order: Cypriniformes (Carps)
Family: Cyprinidae (Carps and minnows)
Genus: Chagunius
Species: C. chagunio
Synonyms
Barbus beavani Günther, 1868
Barbus chagunio (Hamilton, 1822)
Barbus spilopholus McClelland, 1839
Cyprinus chagunio Hamilton, 1822
Puntius chagunio (Hamilton, 1822)
Rohita chagunio (Hamilton, 1822)
Common/local names
English: Chaguni
Bangladesh: Jarua (জারুয়া) and Utti (উত্তি)
India: Pootee-keintah, Keintah-putthi, Jerruah, Chaguni, Utti, Jarua, Utta, Galehri and Musaina (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
Distribution: Bangladesh (Rahman, 1989) and India (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
Conservation status: Data deficient in Bangladesh (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000).
Morphology: Body elongate, head compressed with flat sides. Mouth narrow and subterminal, snout overhanging, two pairs of barbels longer than orbit. Eyes situated high up on head. Scales small, lateral line complete with 44-47 scales (Rahman, 1989).
Body silvery with pinkish tinge, fins reddish with light outer edges, dorsal fin apex black. Pelvics and anal tinged with red. Head 3.4-3.6 in standard, 4.4-4.7 in total length. Height 3.2-3.7 in standard, 4.2-4.8 in total length. Eye 40-5.6 in head, snout 1.6-2.4, interorbital 1.3-2.0 (Rahman, 1989).
Fin formula
D. 11(3/8); P1. 15; P2. 9; A. 8 (3/5) (Rahman, 1989 and 2005)
D v 8; A iii 5; P i 15; V I 8 (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991)
Maximum lengths: 30 cm (Rahman, 1989) and 20-25 cm (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
Habitat and niche: Found in large rivers with rocky bottom, clear and fast water and little/no vegetation; adults are found in water with strong currents (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991; Rahman, 2005). This species is fairly common in streams of Dinajpur, Rangpur, Mymensingh, Sylhet and Chittagong hill tracts (Rahman, 1989 and 2005). In India it found in Brahmaputra river and Ganga drainages along the Himalaya foothills (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
Sexual dimorphism: In males, nauptial tubercles are most heavily developed, densely covering snout and check; last two finrays elongate and reaching to base of caudal fin (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). Male more brilliant with fin tip marked in black (Rahman, 2005).
Fishery information and importance: A good sport on a small hook and comes on paste (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
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REFERENCES
Günther A. 1868. Catalogue of the fishes in the British Museum. Catalogue of the Physostomi, containing the families Heteropygii, Cyprinidae, Gonorhynchidae, Hyodontidae, Osteoglossidae, Clupeidae,… [thru]… Halosauridae, in the collection of the British Museum. Catalogue of the fishes in the British Museum. v. 7: i-xx + 1-512.
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.
McClelland J. 1839. Indian Cyprinidae. Asiatic Researches v. 19 (pt 2): 217-471, Pls. 37-61.
Rahman AKA. 1989. Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, 1st edition, Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, pp. 108-109.
Rahman AKA. 2005. Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, 2nd edition, Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, pp. 125-126.
Talwar PK and Jhingran AG. 1991. Inland Fishes of India and Adjacent Countries, Vol. 1, Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi-Calcutta, pp. 167-168.
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