max size for Rita rita

[amiidae]

Well, cat elog and fishbase stated that the max SL is 150cm. However, I hardly see any specimen that get pass 8inches and there is no pix of a large size specimen on the net when I google.

An Indian local (my friend) has never seen one larger than 1ft.

Anyone care to verify this ?

Thanks

ben

[Silurus]

If Rita sacerdotum can reach this size:

I would imagine it's not a stretch to imagine R. rita capable of reaching a comparable size (largest R. rita I have encountered was about 35 cm SL).

[sidguppy]

logic would say so

but on the other hand.....there are 2 very similar Bagarius species. 1 reaches 20cm/8" and the other reaches 10 times that length!
maybe it's similar with Rita, although less extreme?

[amiidae]

hmm.. on the other hand, that same Indian friend of mine mentioned he had seen Rita gogra at 45cm TL while cat elog stated max 26cm SL.

[MatsP]

As you probably know, the Cat-eLog is "to the best of our knowledge". If there is reasonable documentation of size and ID for fish that is larger (or proven somehow to NOT grow to the size), then I'm perfectly happy to update. However, I'm also NOT going to update it based on "I haven't seen one larger than X" - because I have never seen a pike (in real life) much bigger than 2 feet, but I do know (from pictures etc) that there are MUCH bigger (according to fishbase around 150cm/5ft).

--
Mats

[amiidae]

That's the problem Matsp. It is easier to prove a fish larger than a record than a fish isn't.

Logically (at least to me) it should not be hard to find or see large size Rita rita (say 2 to 3ft) for a fish that can grew large just like Red Tailed Catfish.... unless this species is very rare.

I started this thread because I am interested in getting a Rita rita but the final size (stated in PC and fishbase) turned me off. Yet on the other hand, I have never seen any that hit larger than 8 inches and some others too had similar experience. (abt 1ft vs 5ft - That is pretty far fm the data stated)

ben

p/s : updating / changing the data in cat elog is secondary as far as this thread is concern.

[MatsP]

The size in the cat-elog can not be determined where it came from (highly likely from Fishbase), but the origin of most information in fishbase can be validated. In this case, it's reference 4833: "Talwar, P.K. and A.G. Jhingran, 1991. Inland fishes of India and adjacent countries. Volume 2. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam."

I haven't got access to a library that has this book on it's shelves, but if you have some sort of research library or such that can find it, I suppose that would help.

It may well be like with several other large species, that the fry lives in one type of habitat, and the few that reach mature size are harder to find and rarer simply due to numbers.

--
Mats

[medaka]

"Talwar, P.K. and A.G. Jhingran, 1991. Inland fishes of India and adjacent countries.

Only says should grow to 150cm .
However saying that, the following has to be taken into consideration:

Munshi & Srivastrava, Natural History of Fishes & Systematics of India, gives the following 'range' sizes of Rita rita ; examined from different locations: - 13.8cm TL, 5.6 - 6.3cm TL, & 17.5cm TL.

Occasional paper 220; Records of the Zoological survey of India, gives the range of Rita rita that were examined as 20.5- 40.7 cm SL

Also Catfish Study Group information sheet No 67, gives the size as 40cm SL, however; this sheet goes on to say that small Rita rita can be confused with Rita macracanthus Ng, 2004.

I believe Dave Rinaldo has kept these so maybe if he sees this thread he can contribute in the way of their husbandry;
but as Heok Hee, has done work on Rita's, I think it would be fair to say, he is the guy to see concerning these fascinating catfish, from a scientific view point.

[amiidae]

Thanks for all the inputs and references.

[Richard B]

I've seen fish in the uk at 15" SL labelled Rita rita but it was a few years back & it could have been a different rita species? The only ones i've seen which i was sure were rita rita were only 3" SL....