Goalpara loach, Neoeucirrhichthys maydelli Banarescu & Nalbant, 1968

Systematic position
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Order: Cypriniformes (Carps)
Superfamily: Cobitoidea
Family: Cobitidae (Loaches)
Subfamily: Cobitinae
Genus: Neoeucirrhichthys
Species: N. maydelli

Synonyms: No synonyms.

Common name: Goalpara loach

Distributions: Bangladesh (Rahman, 1989 and 2005) and India (Brahmaputra drainage and Assam) (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).

Conservation status: Data Deficient in Bangladesh (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000).

Morphology: Body elongate, cylindrical and somewhat compressed with rather small head. Eyes are large and subcutaneous. Snout conical and pointed. Dorsal fin inserted much nearer to caudal base than to snout tip. Mouth inferior and shore-shoe shaped. A thick layer of skin in front of upper lip which resembles duplication of upper lip. Caudal slightly emarginated.

Body color light greenish with several triangular irregular spots on flanks. A dark spot on upper base or caudal. Few spots on dorsal, caudal and pectoral fins.

Fin formula:
D. 2/7; P1. 2/8; P2. 1/5; A 2/5 (Rahman, 1989 and 2005)
D iii 7; A ii 5; P 10; V 6 (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991)

Maximum lengths: 4.3 cm TL (Rahman, 1989 and 2005), 3.6 cm SL (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).

Habitats: Inhibits clear flowing streams with sandy or rocky bottom; recorded from Sari and Lubachara rivers (Sylhet) and Tangan river (Thakurgaon) (Rahman, 1989 and 2005).

__________________________________________________________

REFERENCES

Banarescu P and Nalbant TT (1968) Cobitidae (Pisces, Cypriniformes) collected by the German India expedition. Mitteilungen aus dem Hamburgischen Zoologischen Museum und Institut 65: 327-351, Pls. 1-2.

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. 160-161.

Rahman AKA (2005) Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, 2^nd edition, Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, p. 180.

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. 529-530.

 

Visitors' Opinions