A brief account of common food fishes in fresh water systems of Kerala, India

1. COMMON FRESHWATER
FISHES OF KERALA
BY
MUHAMMED ANZEER F
12.05.09

2. INTRODUCTION

“FISH are cold blooded aquatic vertebrates which breath by means of
pharyngeal gills, propelling and balancing themselves by means of fins”
(Jhingran, v.g).


History known from Indus-valley civilization itself.
Major food item (India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan etc.,)
 Abundant
water resources
 Improved
cultural practices
 Easy
to catch
 Biodiversity
is large

3. 
More than 30700 sps. (India-2500)
 More
 More

than 11650 are marine.(India-1570)
than 8411 are fresh water.(India-930)
Even though the present status of many of the fishes is found to be, RARE,
THREATENED or ENDANGERED.
 Dams
which altered the river hydrology
 Introduction
 Illegal

of „economically desirable‟ sps.
and unscientific exploitation
Researches are more worthy , if it is focused on needs of the people.
 Scientific
documentation by inventory and systematic studies.

4. CONTRIBUTERS
 Dr. Francis Day
 „Fishes of Malabar‟‟(1865).
 Dr. Sunderlal Hora
 350 Papers on fish
 Dr. A.G.K .Menon
 Dr. K.C. Jayaram

5. KERALA – A PHYSIOGRAPHIC VIEW
Latitude – 8 º 18 ¹ -12 º 48 ¹
Longitude – 74 º 52 ¹ - 77 º 22 ¹
 Area 38864km² (1.8% of India)
 580km coastal area
 14 Dist.
 Population – 3,34,06,061
 Capital – Trivandrum
 Major cities – Cochin, Kozhikode, and Trivandrum

6.  3 Natural Zones
Lowland
Midland &
High land – (western ghats)
Highest peak „Anamudi‟ (2695 ft)
 44 Rivers, Backwaters, Estuaries etc.
 Kole wet lands of kuttanadu are unique to kerala.
 Avg. rain fall – 2615mm
 Temp. – upto 32ºc

7. Lepidopygopsis typus
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
CYPRINIFORMES
Family
CYPRINIDAE
Common name
PENINSULAR HILL
TROUT
Malayalam name
BRAHMANAKANDA

Endemic to periyar tiger reserve

First described by Raj (1941)

Occupancy of 30km²

Found in fast flowing streams with cobbles and bedrock as substrates

Feeds on aquatic insects and detritus

8.  Body - elongate, compressed, inferior, broad and transverse.
 2 pair of small rostral and maxillary barbels.
 Dorsal fin is short last unbranched ray
 Scales are thin(54-60),arranged along lateral line so the name
„Brahmanakanda‟
 Back is olive brown
 Flanks and belly silvery
 Threatened by
Declining habitat quality
Competition with exotic sps.
Pollution and
Dams

9. Osteochilus longidorsalis
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
CYPRINIFORMES
Family
CYPRINIDAE
Common name
HIFFIN CARP
Malayalam name
MODON

First described from Vettilapara in Chalakkudy river

Inhabits in streams having clear water moderate canopy and bedrock as
the substrate.

Herbivorous

Dorsal fin inserted closer to the snout tip, last unbranched ray is
elongated

Lateral line is complete with 39-40 scales

10.  Dorsal region is almost dark and lateral region is greenish
 Simple rays of all fins tipped with grey(except dorsal fin)
 Caudal fin is dusky
 Thretened by
 Exotic species
 Destructive fishing
 Tourism
 Hydroelectric power project &
 pollution

11. Osteochilus nashii
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
CYPRINIFORMES
Family
CYPRINIDAE
Common name
NASH‟S BARB
Malayalam name
MACHALU,MAMMUL
U

12.  Endemic to western ghats
 Body, slightly compressed
 Dorsal fin inserted closer to the snout tip
 A dark lateral band is runs from the eye to caudal fin base, lateral line is
complete with 40-43 scales.
 Golden- yellow flanks are bluish, abdomen is bright silvery. Dorsal fin Is
with a black blurred bloch on the anterior rays

13. Pterocryptis wynaadensis
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
SILURIFORMES
Family
SILURIDAE
Common name
MALABAR SILURUS

14.  First described from wayanad by Day in 1873.
 Endemic to Western Ghats.
 Inhabits fast flowing river, canals and streams(hides in holes on rocks).
 Feeds on small fishes and crustaceans.
 Short migrations for the purpose of breeding.
 Threatened by –
 Pollution
 Decline in habitat quality

15. Wallago attu
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
SILURIFORMES
Family
SILURIDAE
Common name
BOAL
Malayalam name
VAALA, THOOLI

Commonly found in rivers

Voracious

Blackish above, pearly below, fins hyaline or more or less dusky below

Compressed body from side to side, head depressed.

Abdominal profile is more curved than that of back

Mouth is sub terminal, oblique, gape wide and its corner reaches far
behind the eyes

Two pairs of barbels present.

16. Hyporhamphus limbatus
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
BELONIFORMES
Family
HEMIRHAMPHIDAE
 Coastal species sometimes strictly freshwater
 Found at surface levels of tidal freshwaters
 Feeds mainly on insects
 Breeds twice in a year
 23-37 gill rackers on the first gill arch
 Greenish above with a silvery lateral stripe on the flanks, ventral side is
white, tip of the jaw is reddish, and fins are hyaline

17. Hyporhamphus xanthopterus
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
BELONIFORMES
Family
HEMIRHAMPHIDAE
Common name
RED-TIPPED HALF BEAK
Malayalam name
ARACHUNDAN,
MURICHUNDAN
 First discovered by valenciennes(1847) rediscovered by kurup and
Samuel(1980) in vembanad lake.
 Restricted to 1-3 lakes(Ashtamudi,vembanad, and Vellayani lake) in
Kerala depending on sesons.
 Record of this sps. Out side Kerala is of wrong identification.

18.  Not reported in any protected area.
 41-53 gill rackers on the first gill arch.
 Greenish above and with a silvery lateral stripe on the flank, Ventral
side is white, Tip of the lower jaw is reddish, Fins are hyaline.

19. Xenentodon cancila
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
BELONIFORMES
Family
BELONIDAE
Common name
FRESH WATER
GARFISH
Malayalam name
KOLAN, KUZHALA
 Fairly common in kerala
 Body is elongate
 Jaws with large canine teeth
 Dorsal and anal fins are of equal length
 Caudal fin is truncate

20.  Scales are small
 Lateral line is placed low
 Dorsum is greenish and flanks are silvery and fading to whitish
below, caudal fins are dark at the tips
 A lateral band is runs along the flank

21. Ambassis commersoni
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
PERCIFORMES
Family
CHANDIDAE
 Grows up to 9.4 cm
 Snout about equal to inter orbital space, mouth is very oblique
 Chin is prominent
 Teeth are seen on tongue
 Orbital rim is rough, two rows of scales on cheek
 Colour is yellowish brown with a silvery lateral band

22.  Fin membrane between second and third dorsal spine is dusky blackish
in distal part
 First dorsal spine is minute, second one is stronger and longer than the
other
 Pectorals shorter than head, but longer than ventrals .
 Caudal fin is deeply forked
 Lateral line is continuous
 Present In both fresh as well as brackish water habitats

23. Ambassis dussumeiri
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
PERCIFORMES
Family
AMBASSIDAE
Common name
BARE HEAD
GLASS FISH
 Attains a total length of 4 inches
 Mxilla extends to beneath the anterior margin of orbit
 Nostrils rather large
 Pre orbital and six strong denticulation
 Teeth are villiform,small and equal scales are not very decidous

24.  Back and summit of head is greenish minutely dotted with fine black
points fading to silvery along the sides and abdomen,bright silvery line
passing from opercle to the centre of the tail.
 Cheeks are silvery, fins are transparent with a yellowish tinge
 Blackish between second and third dorsal spine
 Caudal fin with a blackish margin
 Iris silvery upper half is blackish

25. Ambassis gymnocephalus
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
PERCIFORMES
Family
AMBASSIDAE
Common name
BALD GLASSY
PERCHLET
 Wide spread species
 Considerable taxonomic confusion because lack of distinguishable
diagnostic characters
 Supra orbital ridge is also dentate sub and inter opercula are entire

26.  Scales are large and lateral line is interrupted in the middle and with
24-28 scales in longitudinal series.
 12-15 scales are present before the dorsal fin.
 Body is silvery with a bright longitudinal band
 Common in coastal areas

27. Ambassis nalua
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
PERCIFORMES
Family
AMBASSIDAE
Common name
SCALLOPED
PERCHLET
 Inhabits tropical fresh and brckishwater
 Feeds on molluscs, annelids, crustacean and small teleostes
 Attains a total length of 5 inches
 Scales are large and lateral line is complete with 24-28 scales,11-13 scales
are present before the dorsal fin

28.  Body is pale green above and glossy purple below
 A black staining is seen in the membrane between 2nd and 3rd dorsal
spines
 A dark stripe is present in the 2nd dorsal and anal fins

29. Parambassis dayi
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
PERCIFORMES
Family
CHANDIDAE
Common name
DAY‟S GLASSY
PERCHLET
 Originally described as Parambassis dayi
by Bleeker(1874), from cochin Kerala
 Distributed along the west coast of southern western Ghats
 It attains a total length of 17.5 cm
 Body is long and laterally compressed, supra orbital ridge is smooth and
with two spines on its posterior ridge
 Sub orbital region is dentate

30.  Mouth is moderate to large and the tongue is dentate
 Lateral line is curved and complete with 30 scales, 15 scales are
present before the dorsal fin and six rows in the cheeks
 It is silvery shot with purple.
 The membrane between the 2nd and 3rd spine is dusky.
 Soft dorsal, caudal and are dusky at their edges.
 It is common in chalakkudypuzha and periyar

31. Parambassis thomassi
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
PERCIFORMES
Family
CHANDIDAE
Malayalam name
ATTUNANDAN,
POONANDAN
 It was originally described as Ambassis thomassi by Day(1870) from
calicut and mangalore, India
 Widely distributed in the west coast of southern west coast

32.  Body is long and compressed, lateral line is curved and complete with
40-42 scales,15 to 19 scales are present before the dorsal fin 4 rows in the
cheeks
 It is greenish with a sikvery tinge .
 Second dorsal spine is slightly dusky at its anterior side.
 Fins are hyaline
 Second dorsal fin is slightly dusky on its anterior side

33. Pelates quadrilineatus
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
PERCIFORMES
Family
TERAPONIDAE
 Distributed along Indo-west pacific.
 They croak when taken from the water
 Usually they forms schools
 Juveniles in seagrass beds and in mangrove bays

34.  Feeds on small fishes and invertebrates
 Eggs are guarded and fanned by the male parent
 Attains a maximum length of 30 cm
 Gently silver in colour, with 4-6 dark horizontal lines ,black blotch behind
head and below dorsal origin and another infront of dorsal fin may be
present:caudal fin pale or slightly dusky

35.  Originally described as Scieana jarbua by forsskal(1775)
 Otherwise known as Target fish, Crescent prcch or Tiger bass is a Grunter
from the Indo-pacific
 It is a aquarium trade
 Grows up to a size of 36 cm
 It get its name from the concentric circle pattern that can be seen from
above, resembling a target
 Feeds on insects, plant matter, small fish , fish scales and crustaceans.

36. Terapon jarbua
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
PERCIFORMES
Family
TERAPONIDAE
Common name
TARGET FISH

37. Leognathus bindus
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
PERCIFORMES
Family
LEOGNATHIDAE
Common name
PONY FISH
Malayalam name
NALLA MULLAN
 Otherwise known as Silver bellies
 Important in inshore fisheries
 There are 7 sps., among that this one is the most abundant in the malabar
coast
 Very little information is available on the biology and fishery of this one

38. Nandus nandus
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
PERCIFORMES
Family
NANDIDAE
 It is commonly collected in summer months
 Shows camouflage against its environment
 Body is long and laterally compressed
 Mouth is large and highly protrusible.
 Teeth are villiform in jaws

39.  Caudal fin is rounded
 Scales are ctenoid
 Lateral line is interrupted with 46-57 scales in series
 Body is greenish brown with brassy reflections
 Three broad patchy blotches are present along the flanks
 Fins - greenish or yellowish with narrow bands of spots across the soft
portions of dorsal, anal and caudal fins
 The eye has two brown stripes passing through it;one running from the
mouth to the origin of the dorsal fin, and the other running from the throat to
the eye
 The fins are grayish, also with brown marking

40. Etroplus maculatus
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
PERCIFORMES
Family
CICHILIDAE
Common name
ORANGE CHROMIDE
Malayalam name
PALLATHI
 It is very common in paddy fields, or piece
of fresh water
 It is yellowish with a greenish back, and about seventeen horizontal lines
of deep golden spots along the dorsal fin, the back, and the abdomen
occasionally a few also exist on the anal
 Between the dorsal spines and rays there are more spots, some being
brown and others yellow.

41.  Along the lateral line, there are three black finger markls, the central
one being the largest
 Ventral and anal fins stained with a deep black
 Scales are ctenoid same as in the E.suratensis
 The pectoral fins arises close behind the opercle and the commencement of
the dorsal is slightly in advance of it, the finless space on the tail is short
 Dorsal spines strong and occupying eleven fourteenths of the entire fin
 Inter spinous membrane deeply notched and longer than the spines
 Anal spines are strong , and occupying seven tenths of the entire base of
fin, the rays are the same as in the dorsal
 Both dorsal and anal spines can be laid flat in a groove

42. Etroplus suratensis
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
PERCIFORMES
Family
CICHILIDAE
Common name
PEARL SPOT
Malayalam name
KARIMEEN

43.  Common in all pieces of freshwater
 Grows up to a feet
 It takes bite easily, but can‟t captured easily in net-it bury it self in the
mud
 Specimens are of a deep purple colour, bands almost black, and white
spots on nearly every scales gleams like a small pearl;
 Very young fish has a large black ocellus surrounded bye a white
margin, extending from the fourth to the tenth soft rays of the dorsal fin

44.  Mouth is oval,very compressed and situated below the center of the
body
 Profile rises abruptly to the base of the dorsal, but is rather concave
between the snout and the upper margin of the orbit, Lower profile not slightly
so rounded as upper.
 Lower jaw is slightly the longest,Maxilla extends more than halfway to the
orbit
 Preopercle oblique and entire
 Nostrils are situated about midway between the eye and the snout
 Scales are ctenoid, covering the opercles, none on the snout, between the
eyes, or on the orbitals, but they are extended on to the caudal, and along the
base of dorsal and anal fins in the form of a scaly sheath

45. Anabas testudineus
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
PERCIFORMES
Family
ANABANTIDAE
Common name
CLIMBING PERCH
Malayalam name
KAITHAKORA
 Very good eating by the natives
 They are to move in two ways through ground-either by lying on their
sides, flapping their tail and by moving their pectoral fins.
 Will erect their scales and fins at pleasure , this willhelp themto climb
small distances-climbing perch
 Accessory respiratory structures-helps to thrive in oxygen deficit
conditions, enable them to take short migrations

46.  Body is long and compressed at the posterior region
 Operculum is serrated with spines
 Mouth is large-small conical teeth
 Large scales-21-29 scales of lateral series
 Greenish to dark on dorsal side and flanks, fading to pale yellow over
the ventral side
 Well marked blotch at the base of caudal fin, black dot at the base of
pectoral fin, pectoral and caudal fin are dark grey
 Common in all small water bodies

47. Gerres filamentosus
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
PERCIFORMES
Family
GERRIDAE
Common name
THREADFIN SILVER
BIDDY
 Grows up to 8 inches in length
 Body is compressed and elevated
 Snout elevated, maxilla extends up to the first fourth of the orbit
 Teeth can be found at the jaws as a velvety structure
 Dorsal fin commences slightly behind the pectoral, but opposite the origin
of the ventral, and the anal opposite to the 4th ray of the dorsal

48.  Pectoral is pointed, and is extends to above the first anal ray
 Ventral spine weak, first ray prolonged
 First spine of anal weak, and slightly longer than the 3rd, the rays gradually
decrease in length
 Scales cover the body and opercles
 Summit of the head and back pale greenish grey, rest of the body is silvery
with reddish reflections
 Above and folowing the lateral line , there are two parallel series of large
oval blackish spots
 Caudal is deeply forked, The posterior margin of the caudal pale blackish,
ventrals and pectorals white
 Iris is pale golden

49. Channa orientalis
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
PERCIFORMES
Family
CHANNIDAE
Common name
WALKING SNAKE
HEAD
 Commonly called Ceylon snake head
 Some times may grow up to 4 inches
 Predatory, mainly feeds on plankton, insects and some times small amphibians
 They can breath in land for short periods-can survive in land for 4 days at wet
conditions
 High tolerance to acidity

50.  Mouth brooder, male carries the eggs while the female guard the territory during
this time male is less active, and often seen to the surface, fry is ejected via gill
openings
 40-50 scales are present in longitudinal series, 12-13 scales are present before the
dorsal fin
 Dorsum and flanks –green, ventral side-faint bluish colour
 Dark oblique band –above and below the lateral line
 Pectoral fin with alternating pale orange crescentic bands
 Outer margin of the caudal fin is bright orange and barred, black ocellus at the
end of dorsal fin
 This is the most important snake head in kerala

51. Eleotris fusca
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
PERCIFORMES
Family
ELEOTRIDAE
Grows up to 4 inches
Body broad in front, compressed behind, and nearly as wide across the
shoulder as it is high, abdominal profile is more curved than the back(nearly
straight)
Head is depressed, upper jaw oblique, and slightly protrusible, extending
posteriorly to the beneath the centre of the orbit, lower jaw horizontal

52. Preopercle with the posterior limb directed slightly backwards, its angle
rounded, sharp spine directed downwards and a little forwards, the horizontal
limb rather longer than the vertical one
Snout is short and depressed
Scales are exposed, quadrangular, extend over the body and upper surface of
the head as far as snout, where they are small, and on the opercles it is minute
Colour depends on inhabiting water, in clear water; back is lighter than
abdomen and pectoral fin with a black base

53. Macrognathus guentheri
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
SYNBRANCHIFORMES
Family
MASTACEMBELINAE
Common name
TIRE TRACK SPINY
EEL
Malayalam name
AARAKAN
 Originally described from Thrissur by day(1865)
 Common in low land areas, and never recorded from high land areas
 Grows up to 7 inches
 Pre opercle with 2-3 spines

54. Body is greenish brown, a yeowish white streak passes from just above
the eye along the lateral line to the center of the caudal
 Abdomen-dull yellowish white, with a number of blotchy markings
 Caudal with a black bar at the base, and 4-5 lighter ones between that, anal
irregularly spotted
 Dorsum - greenish or brown, flanks and ventralside - dull yellow
 A few black bands radiate from the eyes that cross the jaws below
 A light band running along the upper edge of the lateral line
 Oblique bars or marbling are present on the body and vertical fins
 Usually found in crevisces of the boulders and sandy or muddy bottoms of
the freshwater bodies

55. Mastacembelus armatus
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
SYNBRANCHIFORMES
Family
MASTACEMBELINAE
Common name
ZIG-ZAG EEL
Malayalam name
KALARON,
KALLAROKON
 Very common, and also widely used
as food
 Dangerous to handle due to the presence of its spines
 Grows up to two feets
 Body is elongate and laterally compressed in the caudal region pre
opercular spines are present rostrum is simple and devoid of tooth plates

56.  It is rich brown in colour with zigzag bands on the dorsal profile and
usually forms a network of brownish bands
 Anterior part of the abdomen is dirty white, caudal and pectorals fins are
barred
 Scales are very minute and covers the opercles and head
 A row of black spot is present along the base of the dorsal fin
 Dorsal fin with 32-40 spines and 64-92 branched rays
 Pectoral fin is with 3-4 rows of discontinuous spots

57. Megalops cyprinoides
Class
ACTINOPTERYGII
Order
ELOPIFORMES
Family
MEGALOPIDAE
Common name
OX EYE TARPON
Malayalam name
PALAN, PALANKANNI
 Otherwise known as indo-pacific tarpon
or ox eye
 May grow up to 60 cm
 The large mouth is turned upwards, lower jaw is prominent and contains
elongated hony plates,
 The last ray of the dorsal fin is longer than the other and extend up to the
tail, caudal fin is deeply forked

58.  Eyes are large and located at the middle of the head
 It is dark greenish on the back and the flanks are silvery
 Swim bladder is present
 Spawns at sea and larvae anadromic in nature
 Mainly feeds on smaller fish and crustaceans
 It is known to live up to 44 years

59. CONCLUSION
 India occupies the 9th position in terms of fresh water biodiversity
 Kerala, as a part of India is blessed with all the components needed for the
existence of such a great ichthyodiversity
 This topic very wider, but I mainly stressed on the fishes which are edible
 Many of them are under threat due to the over exploitation and unscientific
fishing methods
 The existing data are highly confusing, so many research works have to be
done to conserve existing sps., explore the new sps.

60. THANKS