Rita (genus)
| Rita Temporal range: Lower Pliocene–Recent | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Rita rita | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Bagridae |
| Genus: | Rita Bleeker, 1854 |
| Synonyms | |
|
Gogrius | |
Rita is a genus of bagrid catfishes found in southern Asia.
Species
There are currently six species described in this genus:[1]
- Rita chrysea F. Day, 1877
- Rita gogra (Sykes, 1839)
- Rita kuturnee (Sykes, 1839)
- Rita macracanthus H. H. Ng, 2004
- Rita rita (F. Hamilton, 1822) (Rita)
- Rita sacerdotum J. Anderson, 1879 (Salween rita)
Two fossil species, R. grandiscutata (Lydekker, 1886) & R. theobaldi (Lydekker, 1886), are known from the Lower Pliocene of the Siwalik Formation in Punjab, India.[2]
Description
The species in this genus are usually between 19 and 30 cm in length with the exception of R. rita (150 cm) and R. sacerdotum (200 cm).[1]
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.[3]
Ecology
Catfish of this genus are usually found in larger streams and rivers.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2011). Species of Rita in FishBase. December 2011 version.
- ↑ http://fishindex.atw.hu/teleostei/clupeomorpha/siluriformes/bagridae.htm
- ↑ Ng, Heok Hee (2004). "Rita macracanthus, a new riverine catfish (Teleostei: Bagridae) from South Asia" (PDF). Zootaxa 568: 1–12.