Rita chrysea • Bagridae • Cat-eLog

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Rita chrysea** Day, 1877
Common Name(s)	Mahanadi Rita
Type Locality	Orissa, India.
Pronunciation	REET ah
Etymology	The name Rita is derived from the local name of the fish. The specific epithet comes from the Greek chrysos, meaning gold, in reference to the color.
Species Information
Size	200mm (7.9") SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	Bagrid catfishes of the genus Rita Bleeker, 1854 are found in large rivers throughout the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar, and are capable of reaching sizes to 1500 mm TL (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991), although mature specimens of ca. 200-300 mm SL are more commonly encountered. The genus is diagnosed by the following synapomorphies (Mo, 1991): single pair of mandibular barbels, elongated Weberian apparatus firmly sutured to the basioccipital, and the sensory canal on the posttemporal enclosed within the bone. Eye large (30-40% HL), palatal teeth in large quadrangular patch covering most of palate, dorsal spine serrated.
Sexing	Males have an elongate genital papilla in front of the anal fin.
Habitat Information
Distribution	Mahanadi river system in Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, India Indian waters, Mahanadi (click on these areas to find other species found there) (Click the map-icon to show/hide map of species distribution)
pH	6.0 - 7.0
Temperature	22.0-27.0°C or 71.6-80.6°F (Show others within this range)
Husbandry Information
Feeding	Readily eats all manner of live and prepared foods. Will eat smaller fishes.
Furniture	Provide plenty of driftwood as hiding places.
Compatibility	Although a fairly peaceful fish, it will eat smaller tankmates and is therefore best kept only with large, robust fishes. Larger cyprinids (e.g. Osteochilus) and larger spiny eels (Mastacembelus) are ideal tankmates.
Breeding	Not reported.
Further Information
References	Fishes IndiaPart 3 - pp455 - Pl. 104 (fig. 1)
Registered Keepers	(1) Shovelnose, who also notes: "Wild Caught", (2) Stackdeck. Click on a username above to see all that persons registered catfish species. You can also view all "my cats" data for this species.
Breeding Reports	None.
Articles	- CotM 2011 October
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Hits	9967 hits.
Last Update	2006 Mar 30 00:00 (species record created: 2003 Sep 01 00:00)

Cat-eLog Data Sheet

Scientific Name

Rita chrysea Day, 1877

Mahanadi Rita

Orissa, India.

REET ah

The name Rita is derived from the local name of the fish. The specific epithet comes from the Greek chrysos, meaning gold, in reference to the color.

Species Information

Size

200mm (7.9") SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.

Identification

Bagrid catfishes of the genus Rita Bleeker, 1854 are found in large rivers throughout the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar, and are capable of reaching sizes to 1500 mm TL (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991), although mature specimens of ca. 200-300 mm SL are more commonly encountered. The genus is diagnosed by the following synapomorphies (Mo, 1991): single pair of mandibular barbels, elongated Weberian apparatus firmly sutured to the basioccipital, and the sensory canal on the posttemporal enclosed within the bone.

Eye large (30-40% HL), palatal teeth in large quadrangular patch covering most of palate, dorsal spine serrated.

Sexing

Males have an elongate genital papilla in front of the anal fin.

Habitat Information

Distribution

Mahanadi river system in Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, India
Indian waters, Mahanadi (click on these areas to find other species found there)

(Click the map-icon to show/hide map of species distribution)

6.0 - 7.0

Temperature

22.0-27.0°C or 71.6-80.6°F (Show others within this range)

Husbandry Information

Feeding

Readily eats all manner of live and prepared foods. Will eat smaller fishes.

Furniture

Provide plenty of driftwood as hiding places.

Compatibility

Although a fairly peaceful fish, it will eat smaller tankmates and is therefore best kept only with large, robust fishes. Larger cyprinids (e.g. Osteochilus) and larger spiny eels (Mastacembelus) are ideal tankmates.

Breeding

Not reported.

Further Information

References

Fishes IndiaPart 3 - pp455 - Pl. 104 (fig. 1)

Registered Keepers

(1) Shovelnose, who also notes: "Wild Caught", (2) Stackdeck.

Click on a username above to see all that persons registered catfish species. You can also view all "my cats" data for this species.

Breeding Reports

None.

Articles