Thehumpback mahseer(Hypselobarbus mussullah) is a species of freshwaterray-finned fishfrom the Indian endemic genusHypselobarbusin thecarpandminnowfamilyCyprinidae.
| Humpback mahseer | |
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Scientific classification
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Cyprinidae |
| Genus: | Hypselobarbus |
| Species: | H. mussullah
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| Binomial name | |
| Hypselobarbus mussullah (Sykes,1839)
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| Synonyms | |
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Description
editThe humpback mahseer is a large cyprinid that has a laterally compressed body which is just over a quarter as deep as it is long (standard length).[2]with a steep dorsal profile forming an obvious hump which runs to the base of thedorsal finand then slopes gently away to thecaudal fin.It has a narrow, thick lipped mouth which is downward facing with two pairs of shortbarbelsbehind the mouth.[3]One pair is rostral and one pair is maxillary and this is one of the features that distinguishes it from otherwise similar species.[4]The dorsal fin origin is just in front of the origin of thepelvic fins[2]and the dorsal fin is concave on its upper margin, with a strong, smooth and stiff spine.[3]The caudal fin is deeply forked with smalltuberculeson the rays.[2]The overall colour is brown with a paler abdomen and it may have dark tips to the fins.[3]It can grow to a maximum total length of 150 cm (59 in) and a weight of 90 kg (200 lb).[4]However, the rod and reel caught record fish was roughly 59 kg (130 lb) and measured 169 cm (67 in) in length while a fish caught by other means was 93 kg (205 lb) and 183 cm (72 in).[5]
The fish was originally described by Sykes as having these meristic features:
Pectoral fins of 16 rays; ventral of 9 rays; dorsal fin of 12 rays, including the first double ray; anal fin of 8 rays, including the first double ray: tail forked, of 24 rays, including the short rays at each exterior side of the insertion of the tail: a remarkable projecting prominence between the upper lip and nostrils, giving to the fish the appearance of being Roman-nosed
— Lieut.-Col. W. H. Sykes[6]
which has been instrumental in clearing the confusion betweenHypselobarbus mussulahandTor remadevii,the lateral line scale count is shown as 42, which clearly demonstrates this fish is not amahseer(member of genusTor).[7]
Distribution
editThe humpback mahseer is endemic to theWestern Ghatsin southern India.[1]It has been recorded from theKrishnaand possibly theGodavariin the states ofKarnataka,MaharashtraandKerala.It occurs in isolated pockets[3]and the species' distribution is extremely fragmented and the total area of the species range is probably less than 500 km2(190 sq mi).[1]
Habitat and ecology
editThe humpback mahseer shows a preference for the deeper stretches of clear, fast flowing large jungle streams and rivers in upland areas.[1]It has an omnivorous diet and feeds on fish, crustaceans, molluscs, frogs, fruits and algae.
Conservation
editThe humpback mahseer is a sought after fish for anglers from the British colonial times to the present although the actual species involved was not determined as the originaldescriptionofBarbus mussulahwas not considered definitive. The species was redescribed asHypselobarbus mussullahin the 1990s and 2016 and the species is the type specimen of the genusHypselobarbus.When this species was classified underTor mussulah,it was considered synonymous with theorange-finned mahseer(Tor remadevii), a highly endangered species endemic to theKaveribasin, unlike the humpback which is endemic to the Krishna basin. When the humpback was reclassified toHypselobarbus,the orange-finned mahseer was split from it for this reason.[8]
References
edit- ^abcdDahanukar, N.; Raghavan, R. (2011)."Hypselobarbus mussullah".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2011:e.T172446A6893728.doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T172446A6893728.en.Retrieved19 November2021.
- ^abcMuthukumarasamy Arunachalam; Sivadoss Chinaraja; Robert Lee Mayden (2016)."Remarkable rediscovery ofBarbus(=Hypselobarbus)mussullah(Sykes) after 175 years of hiatus and description of a new species ofHypselobarbusBleeker from peninsular India (Cyprinidae: Cypriniformes) ".FishTaxa - Journal of Fish Taxonomy.1(1): 1–13.
- ^abcdK.C. Jayaram (1997)."Nomenclatural and Systematic Status ofBarbus mussulahSykes, 1839 ".Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society.94:48–55.
- ^abFroese, Rainer;Pauly, Daniel (eds.)."Hypselobarbus mussullah".FishBase.December 2017 version.
- ^Heinz Machacek (2017)."Hypselobarbus mussullahMussullah Mahseer, Humpback Mahseer ".World Records Freshwater Fishing.Retrieved20 December2017.
- ^Lieut.-Col. W. H. Sykes (1838)."On the Fishes of the Dukhun"(PDF).The Transactions of the Zoological Society of London.2(5): 349–378.doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1839.tb00029.x.
- ^J.D. Marcus Knight; Ashwin Rai; Ronald K.P. D’Souza (19 December 2013)."On the identities ofBarbus mussullahSykes andCyprinus curmucaHamilton with notes on the status ofGobio canarensisJerdon (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) ".Zootaxa.3750(3).doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3750.3.1.
- ^Zachariah, Preeti (2015-08-15)."Angling for a rare sight of the mahseer".Mint.Retrieved2018-06-30.