Systematic position
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Order: Siluriformes (Catfishes)
Family: Schilbeidae (Schilbid catfishes)
Genus: Eutropiichthys
Species: E. murius
Synonyms
Clupisoma murius (Hamilton, 1822)
Eutropius murius (Hamilton, 1822)
Pimelodus murius Hamilton, 1822
Pseudeutropius murius (Hamilton, 1822)
Pseudeutropius murius batarensis Shrestha, 1980
Common/local names
English: Murius vacha and Indus garua
Bangladesh: Muri bacha (মুরি বাচা) and Motash (মোটাশ)
India: Motusi and Muribache (West Bengal); Golmuhi and Butchua (Bihar); Dhungi (Punjab) and Muribacha (Orissa) (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
Distributions: Bangladesh, India (Yamuna, the rivers of West Bengal, Assam, Bihar and Orissa) and Nepal (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
Conservation status: Not threatened in Bangladesh (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000).
Morphology: Body elongate and compressed laterally with depressed head and rounded snout. Mouth wide and upper jaw slightly longer than lower jaw. 4 pairs of barbels. Pectoral spines comparatively strong and slightly longer than dorsal spine. Dorsal spine started posteriorly and pectoral spine denticulated internally. Caudal forked.
Body color silvery gray. Darker back. Bases of caudal, anal and pelvic fins yellowish. Three grayish bands on flanks. Dorsal, pectoral and caudal with dusky tips.
Fin formula:
D1. I/7; D2. 0; P. I/10; V. 6; A. 38-43 (3/35-40); C. 17 (Bhuiyan, 1964)
D. I/7; P1. 1/13; P2. 6; A. 3/35-37 (Rahman, 1989 and 2005)
D I 7; A iii 35-40; P I 10-11; V i 5 (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991)
D1. I/7; D2. 0; P. I/10; V. 6; A. 34-43 (3/35-40); C. 17 (Shafi and Quddus, 2001)
Maximum lengths: 7.5 cm (Bhuiyan, 1964), 15.3 cm (Rahman, 1989 and 2005), 28 cm (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991) and 20 cm (Shafi and Quddus, 2001).
Habitats: Freshwaters; rivers, streams, canals etc. (Rahman, 1989 and 2005). Found in streams, rivers, beels, canals, jute and paddy fields during rainy season (Bhuiyan, 1964).
Fishery info: Used as food fish in Bangladesh. Of high taste and good flavor (Bhuiyan, 1964). Fairly relished for its rice oil content and less bones (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). Caught by dip nets (Bhuiyan, 1964); also by cast net, kochal net, chandi net, veshal net and hooks (Shafi and Quddus, 2001).
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REFERENCES
Bhuiyan AL (1964) Fishes of Dacca, Asiat. Soc. Pakistan, Pub. 1, No. 13, Dacca, pp. 73-74.
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. 184-185.
Rahman AKA (2005) Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, 2nd edition, Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, pp. 204-205.
Shafi M and Quddus MMA (2001) Bangladesher Matsho Shampad (Fisheries of Bangladesh) (in Bengali), Kabir publication. Dhaka, Bangladesh. pp. 206-207.
Shrestha J (1980) Fishes of Nepal. Curriculum Development Centre, Tribhuvan Univ., Kathmandu. Fishes of Nepal.
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. 602-603.
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