Systematic position
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Order: Perciformes (Perches)
Family: Polynemidae (Threadfins)
Genus: Leptomelanosoma
Species: L. indicum
Synonyms
Polydactylus indicus (Shaw, 1804)
Polynemus gelatinosus McClelland, 1843
Polynemus indicus Shaw, 1804
Polynemus sele Hamilton, 1822
Polynemus uronemus Cuvier, 1829
Trichidion indicum (Shaw, 1804)
Trichidion indicus (Shaw, 1804)
Common/local names
English: Indian threadfin
Bangladesh: Lakhua (লাক্ষা) and Tarail (তারাইল)
Distribution: Indo-west Pacific (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991)
Conservation status: Not threatened in Bangladesh (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000).
Morphology: Oblong and slightly compressed body with very small eyes. Eyes are about 7 times in head length (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). Caudal fin highly lunate with pointed lobes. Pectoral fin divided into two parts, lower part with five free filamentous rays of which the upper ray is longest reaching anal fin (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). Pectoral fin insertion near midline of the body (Huda et al., 2003). Scales small. 70-75 scales on lateral line (Rahman, 1989 and 2005; Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
Color golden-olive, darker above, with faint dusky stripes on flanks and fins are yellowish (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
Fin formula:
D. VII / 1/13-14; P1. 5+15; P2. I/5; A. 2-3/11-12 (Rahman, 1989 and 2005)
D1 VIII, D2 I 13-14; A II-III 11-12; P 15+v; V I 5 (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991)
Maximum lengths: 15 cm (Rahman, 1989 and 2005) and 142 cm (Huda et al., 2003).
Habitats: Shallow muddy and sandy bottoms of the continental shelf and occasionally entering rivers (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). Estuaries, Bay of Bengal and tidal rivers of Bangladesh (Rahman, 1989 and 2005). Found in Sundarbans (Huda et al., 2003).
Fishery information: Of no interest to fisheries in the inland waters (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). Occurs in abundance in the inshore and offshore grounds of India (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
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REFERENCES
Cuvier G (1829) Le Règne Animal, distribué d’après son organisation, pour servir de base à l’histoire naturelle des animaux et d’introduction à l’anatomie comparée. Edition 2. Le Règne Animal, distribué d’après son organisation, pour servir de base à l’histoire naturelle des animaux et d’introduction à l’anatomie comparée. Edition 2. v. 2: i-xv + 1-406.
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. 135.
IUCN Bangladesh (2000) Red book of threatened fishes of Bangladesh, IUCN- The world conservation union. xii+116 pp.
McClelland J (1843) On East Indian Isinglass, its introduction to, and manufacture for, the European market. Calcutta Journal of Natural History v. 3 (no. 10): 157-188, 1 pl.
Rahman AKA (1989) Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, 1st edition, Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, pp. 270-271.
Rahman AKA (2005) Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, 2nd edition, Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, pp. 295-296.
Shaw G (1804) General zoology or systematic natural history … v. 5 (pt 1): i-v + 1-25, Pls. 93-132, 43+, 65+, 6+, 74+ and (pt 2): i-vi + 251-463, Pls. 132-182, 158+. General zoology or systematic natural history … Pisces.
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. 910.
[[[…SPECIAL THANKS…]]]
to Farjana Yeasmin, student of MS in Fisheries Biology and Genetics, Department of Fisheries, University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh for providing me the photograph, used in this article.
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