Chitala chitala (Hamilton, 1822)

Clown knifefish

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Osteoglossiformes \| Notopteridae
Synonyms	Mystus chitala, Notopterus chitala, Notopterus buchanani, ... more
Common names	Nožovec skvrnitý, Kitala, Pa tong, ... more

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Main reference

Roberts, T.R. 1992. (Ref. 7431)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 122 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4832); common length : 75.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2686)

Environment

Demersal; freshwater; pH range: 6.0 - 8.0; dH range: 5 - 19

Climate / Range

Tropical; 24°C - 28°C (Ref. 2060)

Asia: Indus, Ganges-Brahmaputra and Mahanadi river basins in India. No valid records from Irrawaddy, Salween or other river basins of Myanmar. Reports of Chitala chitala from Thailand and Indo-China were based on Chitala ornata and those from Malaysia and Indonesia on Chitala lopis.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 117 - 127. The only species in which subadults and adults have a series of transverse gold or silver bars on the dorsum, but this color feature is not always present (Ref. 7431). Differs from C. ornata in never having ocellated spots and from C. blanci and C. lopis in never having a black spot on the pectoral fin base (Ref. 7431). Young with 13 to 15 dark broad oblique cross bars on side of body. Pelvic fins uniting together at their base. Anal fin continuous with caudal fin (Ref. 4792).

Inhabits freshwater rivers, lakes, beels, nullahs in the plains (Ref. 41236), reservoirs, canals and ponds (Ref. 1479). Feeds on aquatic insects, mollusks, shrimps and small fishes (Ref. 1479). Lays eggs usually on stake or stump of wood, male fans them with tail, keeps them aerated and silt-free, guards them against small catfish and other predators; complete give-away to fishermen; female not observed at egg posts; moderately important food fish (Ref. 2686). Spawns once a year during May to August (Ref. 6459).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Not Evaluated	Harmless

Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: commercial


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

Tools
Biogeographic modelling \| Bio-Quiz \| E-book \| Field guide \| Length-frequency wizard \| Life-history tool \| Point map

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Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
High to very high vulnerability (71 of 100)	Not marketed/unknown

Entered by Luna, Susan M.

Modified by Torres, Armi G.

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Page last modified by : elaxamana, 15 July 2009

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