Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Siluriformes (Catfishes) >
Horabagridae (Imperial catfishes)
Etymology: Horabagrus: Named for S.L.Hora, director of Zoological Survey of India + Greek, pagros = a fish, Dentex sp. (Ref. 45335); obscurus: Name 'obscurus' from the Latin word meaning dark or cloudy, in reference to the colour pattern of the fish. Also from the English word obscure meaning cryptic or ambiguous, in allusion to the confusion between H. obscurus and the sympatric H. nigricollaris..
Eponymy: Dr Sunder Lal Hora (1896–1955) was a distinguished Indian ichthyologist and biologist who held a doctorate in science from both the Punjab University (1922) and Edinburgh University (1928), having studied for his master’s at the Government College, [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal. Tropical
Asia: India.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 40.8 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 137589)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 1; Dorsal soft rays (total): 5; Anal soft rays: 28 - 29. This species is distinguished by the following set of characters: greenish brown ground color mottled with black and a small black humeral blotch with a yellow to white region immediately anteroventral to the blotch; adult size >250 mm SL; caudal peduncle depth 8.5-10.8% SL; eye orbital diameter 13.4-19.7% HL; pectoral spine 48.9-62.3% HL; width of pectoral girdle 72.3-76.9% HL; maxillary barbel just reaching the pectoral fin origin; total post-Weberian vertebrae modally 38 (Ref. 137589).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated.
This species inhabits rivers with fast flowing water and hard substrate (Ref. 137589).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Kumar, R.G., C. Ravi, N.P. Krishnaprasoon and V.S. Basheer, 2024. A new sympatric species of Horabagrus (Siluriformes: Horabagridae) from the Chalakkudy river basin in Kerala, India. Indian J. Fish 71(4):20-26. (Ref. 137589)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
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