Scientific Name
Mystus cavasius

Common Name
Gangetic mystus

Biology
Dorsal spines (total): 1; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 10 - 11. Body elongate and compressed; head conical; occipital process narrow. Maxillary barbels, in adults, extend posteriorly beyond the caudal fin base, but in young specimen, do not extend beyond the anal fin. Dorsal spine weak, often feebly serrated. Color is grayish with a more or less well-defined midlateral longitudinal stripe. A dark spot emphasized by a white or pale area along its ventral margin is just anterior to the first dorsal spine. Dorsal, adipose and caudal fins shaded with melanophores.

Classification

Classified By

Hamilton, 1822

Class

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)

Order

Catfish (Siluriformes)

Family

Bagrid catfishes (Bagridae)

Distribution

Region

Asia

Distribution

Asia: lowland rivers in most major basins of the Indian subcontinent (Pakistan, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar), including but not limited to the Indus, Brahmaputra-Ganges, Krishna, Cauvery, Irrawaddy, Salween and Tenasserim. Reports of this species from the Chao Phraya and Mekong basins, Malaysia, and Indonesia are based on misidentifications of Mystus albolineatus or Mystus singaringan. Occurs in Thailand, but only in the Salween basin.

Range

5°N - 38°S

Environment

Climate

Tropical

Water Temperature From

Unknown °C

Water Temperature To

Unknown °C

Depth From - meters

Unknown m

Depth To - meters

Unknown m

Zone

demersal

Environment

Freshwater; brackish; demersal; amphidromous (Ref. 51243)

Trophic Level

3.43 s.e. 0.46 Based on size and trophs of closest relatives

Occurs in Marine / Salt water

False

Occurs in Brackish water

True

Occurs in Fresh Water

True

Occurs on Reefs

False

Is kept in Aquariums

False

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length

40.0 cm

Common Length

Unknown cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 0.5000 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses

Fisheries: commercial

Vulnerability

Moderate to high vulnerability (51 of 100)

Resilience

Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Fec = 3,314)

Threat To Humans

Venomous (Ref. 4833)

IUCN Red List Status

Least Concern (LC)