The Mystus ID Thread

[Shovelnose, posts: 841]

Ha ha. Now I can't say no to that.




Specimen from the Dibru river, Guijan Ghat, Tinsukia District, Assam. Could this be Mystus dibrugarensis??? The spot on the caudal peduncle seems right but the adipose fin base looks longer than should be??? This is the only picture I can source for now.

[The.Dark.One, posts: 1438]

Looks right to me, especially with the locality info.

[Shovelnose, posts: 841]

Unfortunately, there is no scope for getting any live specimens at the moment. Maybe sometime later.

[Shovelnose, posts: 841]

This specimen is from Sirakol,South 24 Parganas District,West Bengal. It is not from a river but from a pond and was collected along with Puntius gelius,P.phutunio and an Esomus sp.The nearest river is 30kms away. This is the first Mystus sp. my friend has collected from this place even though he has been collecting extensively in this region for over a decade.




The specimen shot earlier this year at my friends place.





The specimen now. Most of that silver is an artefact of flash. It is much duller.




The maxillary barbels extend till the caudal peduncle.





11-12 serrations on the pectoral spine and fairly large eyes.







No serrations on the dorsal spine??? I can't see a spot at the dorsal fin base either but I think it does have one when looking at the first picture.




Adipose fin.







Head shots.



What do you think???

[Silurus]

Mystus cavasius

[Shovelnose, posts: 841]

Hey HH,

The spot on the caudal peduncle is a normal feature??? I haven't come across this in the literature I have gone through I think.

[The.Dark.One, posts: 1438]

I too think cavasius.

[Silurus]

You can make one out in the first picture in the Cat-eLog.

[Shovelnose, posts: 841]

Yup. That is what I compared it to. Saw the spot on the caudal peduncle on that specimen too. Hence wondered if this is a constant as I haven't read about this before.


I got some bigger specimens as well. Gorgeous looking. Will try taking pics of those for the Cat-Elog soon.

[Shovelnose, posts: 841]

Pics : Neil

Specimen from West Bengal. This is a leucistic Mystus tengara.

[Shovelnose, posts: 841]

Pics : Ashwin

Specimens from Karnataka,India. Mystus malabaricus I presume???

[Shovelnose, posts: 841]

This one came in today from Karnataka. Was quite stressed so didn't I torture him in the photo tank for too long. What do you think??? Looks close to malabaricus but I think it is very slender when compared to the other malabricus specimens I have from this region. The adipose too is smaller.

[Silurus]

It's one of those things without a name, if you ask me.

[Shovelnose, posts: 841]

Ah. I was thinking on the same lines but wasn't completely sure. One of the specimens came 'almost' DOA. I have kept him separately. In case he pops, I will take clearer pics.

I don't know if dumping him in formalin will be of any use as he has been battered by the other specimen in transit.

[The.Dark.One, posts: 1438]

It matches with Mystus canarensis:

Long body, shallow body depth, short supraoccipital process, long adipose fin base, among other things.

[Shovelnose, posts: 841]

Hey Steve,

At first glance, it seems to differ from the specimens I already have. I will take some better pics soon.

[Shovelnose, posts: 841]

In the meanwhile, pics of the bigger Mystus cavasius.

[Shovelnose, posts: 841]

Does anyone have any pictures (live especially) of Mystus keletius??? I did a trip to the type locality (Pondicherry) a month ago with no luck. The easiest way to identify spots feasible for collection in these areas is to show pictures of the fish to the local fishermen. Unfortunately, the only verified pictures I have seen of this species are the pictures of the lectotype and they won't be of much use when shown to fishermen.

[Silurus]

I think this is a misidentified Mystus keletius from the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary (a bit far from the type locality, I know).

[Shovelnose, posts: 841]

Thanks HH!!! I assumed M.keletius was confined to lower reaches of rivers like M.gulio. I will use this picture as a reference. I will update his thread once I collect some more Mystus.