Systematic position
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Order: Cypriniformes (Carps)
Family: Cyprinidae (Carps and minnows)
Genus: Labeo
Species: L. pangusia
Synonyms
Cyprinus pangusia (Hamilton, 1822)
Gobio pangusia (Hamilton, 1822)
Labeo kunki Chaudhuri, 1912
Common/local names
English: Pangusia labeo
Bangladesh: Ghora maach (ঘোরা মাছ), Ghora muikha (ঘোরা মুইখ্খা) and Longu rui (লংগু রুই)
India: Lasu, Utti, Boalla, Rewa, Loanee, Akhrot and Bhangan
Distribution and habitats: Bangladesh, India (Ganga and Brahmaputra drainage system of the Himalaya) and Pakistan (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). Greater Sylhet district in Bangladesh (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000).
Habitats are rivers, lakes and ponds (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991; IUCN Bangladesh, 2000). This species commonly inhabit in hill- streams of Sylhet and Chittagong Hill Tract and also found in the Surma river near Chattak (Rahman, 1989 and 2005). Rarely seen in catch from rivers of plain land (Rahman, 2005).
Conservation status: Critically endangered in Bangladesh due to habitat loss (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000).
Morphology: Body elongate and dorsal profile more convex than that of ventral. Overhanging small mouth with distinct lateral lobes. Eyes small, lips thick and not fringed. One short maxillary barbells, concealed in labial fold. Dorsal fin inserted to snout tip, pectoral fins do not extend up to pelvic fins and fin deeply forked. Lateral line complete with 40 to 43 moderate scales (Rahman, 1989 and 2005).
Fish body color varies with water color. In river fish: brownish above, yellowish and white at sides and below. But in hill stream fish: dark or blackish above and light yellowish below.
Head 4.0-4.2 in standard, 5.0-5.6 in total length. Height 3.4-3.6 in standard, 4.2-4.6 in total length. Eye 5.0-5.8 in head, snout 2.6-4.2, interorbital 2.5-4.0 (Rahman, 1989 and 2005).
Fin formula
D ii-iii 10-11; A ii 5; P i 14-15; V i 8 (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991)
D. 12-13 (2/10-11); P1. 15-16; P2. 9(1/8); A. 7(2/5) (Rahman, 1989 and 2005; IUCN Bangladesh, 2000)
Maximum length: 35.7 cm (Rahman, 1989 and 2005), 60 cm (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991) and 36 cm (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000).
Fishery information and importance: It is considered as excellent food fish. Contributes a minor fishery in north Bengal and Assam of India (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
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REFERENCES
Chaudhuri BL. 1912. XXXV. Descriptions of some new species of freshwater fishes from north India. Records of the Indian Museum (Calcutta) v. 7 (pt 5): 437-444, Pls. 38-41.
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.
Rahman AKA. 1989. Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, 1st edition, Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, pp. 118-119.
Rahman AKA. 2005. Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, 2nd edition, Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, pp. 135-136.
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. 216-217.
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