Systematic position
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Order: Siluriformes (Catfishes)
Family: Plotosidae (Eeltail catfishes)
Genus: Plotosus
Species: P. canius
Synonyms
Plotosus horridus Bleeker, 1846
Plotosus multiradiatus Bleeker, 1846
Plotosus unicolor Valenciennes, 1840
Potosus viviparus Bleeker, 1846
Common/local names
English: Canine catfish-ell and Gray eel-catfish
Bangladesh: Gang magur (গাং মাগুর) and Kan magur (কান মাগুর)
India: Kanmagur, Ungilayi, Kamda, Varichoongun, mushu, Irung-kellettee, Walshingti, Walshingala and Nalshingali (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
Distributions: Bangladesh, India, Srilanka, Myanmar, The Indo-Australian Archipelago, Philippines and Papua New Guinea (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
Conservation status: Vulnerable in Bangladesh (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000).
Morphology: Body elongated, sub-cylindrical and also compressed posteriorly. Head depressed. Mouth transverse and upper lip slightly longer than that of lower lip. Four pairs of barbels present. Dorsal and pectoral spine serrated on both edge. Second dorsal and caudal fin confluent with anal fin. Fins are inveloped in skin.
The body color is olive-green. Barbels and fins grayish. Lurid uniform dark olive color with tinge of violet (Hamilton, 1822).
Fin formula: D. 5-6 ( I/4-5 ); P1. 11-12 ( I/10-11 ); P2. 12; Caudo-dorsal-Anal. 240-270 (Rahman, 1989).
Maximum length: 4.3 cm (Rahman, 1989 and 2005).
Habitats: Commonly found in brackish-water. Some common habitats are estuaries, coasts, bay and occasionally ascends to rivers (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000). Found in estuaries and Bay of Bengal and ascends rivers (Rahman, 2005).
Importance: Used as fish food in different parts of the world. It is a suitable species for brackish-water fish culture in India (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
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REFERENCES
Bleeker P. 1846. Overzigt der siluroïden, welke te Batavia voorkomen. Natuur-en Geneeskundig Archif voor Neerlandsch Indië v. 3 (no. 2): 135-184.
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.
Cuvier G. and Valenciennes A. 1840. Histoire naturelle des poissons. Tome quinzième. Suite du livre dix-septième. Siluroïdes. Histoire naturelle des poissons. v. 15: i-xxxi + 1-540, Pls. 421-455.
Rahman AKA. 1989. Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, 1st edition, Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, pp. 173-174.
Rahman AKA. 2005. Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, 2nd edition, Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, pp. 192-193.
Talwar PK and Jhingran AG. 1991. Inland Fishes of India and Adjacent Countries, Vol. 2, Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi-Calcutta, p. 713.
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