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Description |
Geographic Range [top]
Range Description: The species is recorded from Pakistan, India (Manipur, Uttaranchal, West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar), Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand. It is widespread in the western and eastern Himalayas.
However, Chitala chitala is likely restricted to the Indian subcontinent; the genus appears to be absent from Myanmar (misidentification of records may be based on very large Notopterus notopterus), and in Southeast Asia, C. borneensis, C. hypselonotus, C. lopis or C. ornata have been misidentified as C. chitala (H.H. Ng, pers comm., 2010; Roberts 2007).
Countries occurrence:
Native:
Bangladesh; India (Assam, Bihar, Manipur, Tripura, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal); Nepal; Pakistan
Range Map: Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.
Population [top]
Population:
Limited information is available; it has declined in some parts of its range, including Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and northeastern India due to declining water quality (siltation) and, mainly, overexploitation (S.C. Dey, pers. comm., 2010; S. Chaudhry pers. comm., 2010). In Nepal, very few specimens were recorded in recent surveys (B. Jha pers. comm., 2010). Specific figures are not available.
Current Population Trend: Decreasing
Additional data:
?Continuing decline of mature individuals: Yes
?Population severely fragmented: No
Habitat and Ecology [top]
Habitat and Ecology: Inhabits freshwaters, particularly the larger rivers, but is also found in swamps. The species congregates, making it easily caught where it is present.
Systems: Freshwater
Continuing decline in area, extent and/or quality of habitat: Yes
Congregatory: Congregatory (and dispersive)
Use and Trade [top]
Use and Trade: This species attains a length of 122 cm, but market specimens are about 26 cm long. Swamps yield considerable quantities of this species in Indian area, where it is captured with seine nets. The flesh is of good flavour but full of small bones; the fish is in considerable demand. The catches of this species are fast declining in India. Breeding has been successfully undertaken for the food trade.
Threats [top]
Major Threat(s):
No information available for all of its range. In parts of India the species has declined due to over exploitation and decline in habitat quality.
Conservation Actions [top]
Conservation Actions:
Captive breeding of the species is being undertaken in parts of India to provide food fish (Ponniah and Sarkar 2000). Further research is required to understand the impact of harvesting across the species range.
Citation: Chaudhry, S. 2010. Chitala chitala. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T166510A6225101. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T166510A6225101.en. Downloaded on 30 March 2016.
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Asia: Indus, Ganges-Brahmaputra and Mahanadi river basins in India. No valid records from Irrawaddy, Salween or other river basins of Myanmar. Reports of Chitala chitala from Thailand and Indo-China were based on Chitala ornata and those |
