Himalayan glassy perchlet, Pseudambassis baculis (Hamilton, 1822)

Systematic position
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii  (Ray-finned fishes)
Order: Perciformes (Perches)
Family: Ambassidae (Asiatic glassfishes)
Genus: Pseudambassis
Species: P. baculis

Synonyms
Ambassis baculis (Hamilton, 1822)
Chanda baculis Hamilton, 1822
Channa baculis (Hamilton, 1822)
Parambassis baculis (Hamilton, 1822)

Common/local names
English: Himalayan glassy perchlet
Bangladesh: Chanda (চান্দা) and Kata chanda (কাটা চান্দা)
India: Chanari (Uttar Pradesh) and Sheesha-machhi and Kunggi (Punjab) (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991)

Distributions: Himalayan and Indo-Gangetic plains (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Siam and the Punjab (Bhuiyan, 1964).

Conservation status: Data deficient in Bangladesh (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000)

Morphology: Small and rather slender body with oblique mouth. 90 scales (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991; Huda et al., 2003) on lateral line. Lower jaw almost equal to upper jaw (Rahman, 1989 and 2005). Scales are small. Color translucent and yellowish-green back; flank and belly silvery white with a silvery longitudinal bank on flank (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). Fins are hyaline. A golden spot on the occiput (Rahman, 1989 and 2005). Gill rakers about 11 on lower arm of first arch (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991; Huda et al., 2003).

Fin formula:
D1. 7; D2. 13-14 (I/12-13); A. 18-19 (3/15-16); P. 11-12; V. 6; C. 17 (Bhuiyan, 1964)
D1. VII; D2. I/13-14; P1. 10-11; P2. I/5; A. III/11-13 (Rahman, 1989 and 2005)
D VI+I 12-13; A III 12-13; P i 11-12; V I 5 (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991)
D1. VII; D2. I/12-13; A. III/15-16; P. 11-12; V. 6; C. 17 (Shafi and Quddus, 2001)

Maximum lengths: 3.4 cm TL (Bhuiyan, 1994), 5 cm TL (Rahman, 1989 and 2005; Huda et al., 2003), 5 cm SL (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991) and 7.5 cm TL (Shafi and Quddus, 2001).

Habitats: Freshwater ponds, ditches, pools and rivers (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). Found in canals, beels, haors, oxbow lakes and rivers; also in inundated rice and jute fields during monsoon season (Shafi and Quddus, 2001).

Fishery information: Common in the catch in the Indo-Gangetic plains but of no interest to fisheries (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).

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REFERENCES

Bhuiyan AL (1964) Fishes of Dacca, Asiat. Soc. Pakistan, Pub. 1, No. 13, Dacca, p. 102.

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.

Huda MS, Haque ME, Babul AS and Shil NC (ed.) (2003) Field guide to finfishes of Sundarban, Aquatic resources division, Sundarban, Boyra, Khulna, Bangladesh, p. 106.

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. 341-342.

Rahman AKA (2005) Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, 2^nd edition, Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, pp. 373-374.

Shafi M and Quddus MMA (2001) Bangladesher Matsho Shampad (Fisheries of Bangladesh) (in Bengali), Kabir publication. Dhaka, Bangladesh. pp. 269-270.

Talwar PK and Jhingran AG (1991) Inland Fishes of India and Adjacent Countries, Vol. 2, Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi-Calcutta, pp. 803-804.

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