Rita (genus)

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Rita
Fossil range: Lower Pliocene - Recent
Rita rita
Rita rita
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Bagridae
Genus: Rita
Bleeker, 1854
Binomial name

Rita chrysea
Day, 1877
Rita gogra
(Sykes, 1839)
Rita grandiscutata †
Lydekker, 1886
Rita kuturnee
(Sykes, 1839)
Rita macracanthus
Ng, 2004
Rita rita
(Hamilton, 1822)
Rita sacerdotum
Anderson, 1879
Synonyms

Gogrius
Day, 1867

Rita is a genus of catfishes (order Siluriformes) of the family Bagridae. It includes six extant species, R. chrysea, R. gogra, R. kuturnee, R. macracanthus, R. rita, and R. sacerdotum, and one extinct species, R. grandiscutata.[1]

Contents

[edit] Distribution

Rita species are found in large rivers throughout the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar.[2] R. chrysea inhabits the Mahanadi River system in Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, India.[3] R. gogra originates from rivers of Deccan up to the Krishna River system in India.[4] R. kuturnee comes from Peninsular India from Deccan rivers up to Krishna river system.[5] R. macracanthus is known from the Indus River drainage in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northwestern India.[2] R. rita is distributed in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.[6] R. sacerdotum originates from the Irrawaddy River basin in Myanmar.[7]

[edit] Description

Rita species are capable of reach 150 centimetres (59 in) TL; this large size is found in Rita rita.[2][6] However, mature speciments of about 20–30 cm (5–12 in) SL are more commonly encountered.[2]

These catfish have a single pair of mandibular barbels, an elongated Weberian apparatus firmly sutured to the basioccipital, and the sensory canal on the posttemporal enclosed with bone.[2]

[edit] Ecology

R. chrysea occurs in rivers and large streams.[3] R. gogra and R. kuturnee inhabit large rivers.[4][5] R. rita is a sluggish, bottom-dwelling catfish.[8] It inhabits rivers and estuaries, preferring muddy to clear water. It also prefers backwater of quiet eddies.[6]

R. macracanthus feeds on invertebrates and small fishes.[2] R. rita is a carnivorous catfish; the bulk of its diet consists of mollusks. In addition, it feeds on small fishes, crustaceans, insects, as well as on decaying organic matter.[8]

R. chrysea spawn during the monsoon months.[3] The breeding season for R. macracanthus lasts form June to the end of July, during which the fish migrates to colder waters in shoals.[2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Ferraris, Carl J., Jr. (2007). "Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types" (PDF). Zootaxa 1418: 1–628. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Ng, Heok Hee (2004). "Rita macracanthus, a new riverine catfish (Teleostei: Bagridae) from South Asia" (PDF). Zootaxa 568: 1–12. 
  3. ^ a b c "Rita chrysea". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. June 2007 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2007.
  4. ^ a b "Rita gogra". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. June 2007 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2007.
  5. ^ a b "Rita kuturnee". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. June 2007 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2007.
  6. ^ a b c "Rita rita". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. June 2007 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2007.
  7. ^ "Rita sacerdotum". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. June 2007 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2007.
  8. ^ a b Yashpal, Madhu; Kumari, Usha; Mittal, Swati; Mittal, Ajay Kumar (June 2006). "Surface architecture of the mouth cavity of a carnivorous fish Rita rita (Hamilton, 1822) (Siluriformes, Bagridae)" (PDF). Belg. J. Zool. 136 (2): 155–162.