| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal soft rays (total): 11-11; Anal soft rays: 13-14. This species is distinguished from all its congeners by the following characters: lateral line scales 37-39; predorsal scales 14-16; branched dorsal fin rays 11; snout with two pairs of minute barbels. Colouration: body with blackish-brown dorsal and upper laterals, greenish-yellow middle part and silvery lower lateral part, vertical bands on mid-lateral region 8, with each of these bands with two segments-lower blue part and upper green part-a large round blotch on caudal base with same color pattern, upper caudal lobe with a triangular black blotch, dorsal fin with basal 2/3 portion brown and distal part orange-red, anal fin orange-red and pectoral fin pale reddish (Ref. 124202). |
| Biology: |
This species is collected from a fast-flowing water stream named Eramkunnuchaal, Chully, Kasargod, Kerala; its width 2 - 5 m and depth of 5 - 3m . The stream basin is characterized by denudational hills and valley hills and the high level regions of the stream are blanketed by moderate to dense riparian vegetation. Major plant components include: Adenanthera pavonina, Albizia chinensis, Aegle marmelos, Areca catechu, Artocarpus heterophyllus, Artocarpus incisus. Averrhoa bilimbi, Borassus flabellifer, Corypha umbraculifera, Cocos nucifera, Dabergia latifolia, Erythrina stricta, Ficus auriculata, Hevea brasiliensis, Mangifera indica, Ochreinauclea missionis, Psidium guajava, Syzygium lanceolatum, Theobroma cacao, Terminalia bellirica, Syzygium jambos, Strychnos nux-vomica, Tamarindus indica, and others. Associated species include: Anguilla bengalensis, A. bicolor, Barilius bakeri, Devario malabaricus, Garra mullya, Haludaria fasciatus, Rasbora dandia, Mystus montanus, Ompok bimaculatus, Mesonoemacheilus pulchellus, and others (Ref. 124202). |
