This document identifies and provides descriptions of 10 important cultivable fish species found in India. For each species, it provides the scientific classification (phylum, class, order, family, genus, species), common name, local name, identification characters including fin formula, distinguishing physical traits, habitat, feeding behavior, and other notes. The species described are Catla catla, Labeo rohita, Cirrhinus mrigala, Cyprinus carpio, Channa striatus, Ctenopharyngodon idella, Pangasius pangasius, Oreochromis niloticus, Mugil cephalus, and Lates calcarifer.
Identification and study of important cultivable Fishes
1. Identification and study of
important cultivable and
edible fishes
Dr. Karri. Rama Rao
Dept. of Zoology
2. Fish have formed an important item
of human diet.
Nearly all fish freshwater and
marine are edible and have been an
important source of protein, fat and
vitamins A and D since time
immemorial.
In most fishes, the flesh is white,
contains about 13 to 20% of protein
and has a food value of 300 to 1600
calories per pound.
3. Fishes form a rich source of food and
provide a means to tide over the
nutritional difficulties of man.
In addition to serving as an
important item of food, fishes provide
several byproducts to us.
4. Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-
finned fishes)
Order: Cypriniformes (Carps)
Family: Cyprinidae (carp and
minnows)
Genus: Catla
Common name: Catla
Local name: Bocche
1. Catla catla (Hamilton, 1822)
Fin formula: D. 18; P1. 20; P2. 9; A. 8
5. Identification characters:
Body compressed with
comparatively broad head.
Mouth is wide with thick and broad
lower lip.
Dorsal profile is more convex than
that of ventral profile.
Barbels are absent.
Dark gray the above, silvery on
abdominal sides.
Fins are blackish and pectoral pale.
6. Lateral line complete with 40-43
scales. Takes food from surface layer of
habitat.
It is a non-predatory fish and its
feeding is restricted to the surface and
mid waters.
Found in freshwater bodies, rarely in
brackish water, some common habitats
are ponds, ditch, canals, beels,
floodplains, rivers, lakes etc.
Niche is surface layer of water body.
7. Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-
finned fishes)
Order: Cypriniformes (Carps)
Family: Cyprinidae (carp and
minnows)
Genus: Labeo
Species: rohita
Common name: Rohu
Local name: Rohu
2. Labeo rohita (Hamilton, 1822)
Fin formula: D. 15-16; P1. 16-17; P2. 9; A. 7
8. Identification characters:
Body compressed and dorsal profile is
more convex than that of ventral
profile.
Single pair of barbel (maxillary)
present.
Dorsal profile is brownish or
greenish and silvery on both sides and
beneath.
Fins are gray in colour with orange
margin in larger specimen.
Lateral line is present and complete.
9. Scales are moderate.
Takes food from middle layer of
habitat and often from surface
layer.
Found in freshwater bodies, rarely
in brackish water, some common
habitats are ponds, ditch, canals,
beels, floodplains, rivers, lakes etc.
Niche is middle layer of water body
11. Identification characters:
The body is elongated and
streamlined or laterally compressed.
Dorsal profile is more convex than
that of abdomen.
Ventral profile is slightly convex.
Body is greyish or greenish colour on
the back and silvery at the sides and
below.
Fins are slightly orange coloured in
larger specimen.
12. Lateral line present and complete
with about 40-45 scales.
Bottom dwelling fish species and
primarily detritus eater.
Feed on both natural and
supplementary feeds.
Well habituated in taking rice bran,
wheat bran, mustard oil cake and other
supplementary feed under aquaculture
system
13. Phylum: Chordata
Class: Osteichthyes
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Genus: Cyprinus
Species: carpio
Common
name: Common carp
Local
name: Bangaruteega
4. Cyprinus carpio (Linnaeus, 1758)
Fin formula: D. 3-4/18-20, P1: 1/15, P2: 1/8,
A. 3-5
14. Identification characters:
Body elongated and head
comparatively very small.
Dorsal of the body is very convex and
abdomen bulky.
Body is compressed and snout
rounded.
Whole body covered with moderate
size scales.
Abdomen rounded.
Dorsal side of this fish is brownish.
Scales number on the lateral line
series is 30 to 41.
15. Bottom dweller and detrivorus fish.
Ponds, rivers, lakes, canals, beels, etc.
both open and closed water bodies.
Common carp takes plankton and
detritus at the bottom of the water
body.
It cleans the water body from
unhealthy aquatic vegetation by up
rooting plants at the time of searching
in culture pond if this species stock
excessive number
16. Phylum- Chordata
Class: Oesteichthyes
Order: Channiformes
Family: Channidae
Genus: Channa
Common name: Striped
or Banded snakehead
Local name: Bomme,
Korameenu
5. Channa striatus (Bloch, 1794)
Fin formula: D. 42-46; P1. 15-17; P2. 6; A. 24-27
17. Identification characters:
Body almost cylindrical anteriorly,
somewhat compressed posteriorly.
Anterior nasal opening produced into a
tubular process.
Pre annals absent large plate like scales on
head. Mouth deeply cleft, maxilla extends
half to one eye-diameter behind orbit.
Lateral line is complete and curve.
Scales are cycloid.
Dorsal commences above the pectoral and
it terminates behind the anal.
Pectoral is moderate and plain,
18. Pelvic short and caudal rounded.
Colour varies with age and the habitat they
live in dark grey superiorly, becoming
yellowish beneath lateral line with peninsulas
of the dark colour extending into the yellow.
The fish is carnivorous and subsists on a
variety of living creatures including fish, frogs,
snakes, insects, earth worms and tadpoles like
all other members of the genus.
19. Phylum: Chordata
Class: Osteichthyes
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Sub family: Cyprininae
Genus: Ctenopharyngodon
Species: idella
Common name: Grass carp
Local name: Gaddicheap,
gasscutter
6. Ctenopharyngodon idella (Valenciennes, 1844)
Fin formula: D. 3/7, P1. 1/17, P2. 1/8, A. 3/7-8
20. Identification characters:
Colour in life dark gray above, silvery
yellowish on flanks and belly, base of
each scale was dark brown.
Fins are dark Elongated body is
compressed in posterior part.
Head is depressed and flattened.
Mouth is terminal and lips are thin.
The upper jaw is slightly longer than
the lower jaw.
Eyes are large and lateral in position.
21. Barbles are absent.
Dorsal fin is inserted slightly ahead
of pelvic fin.
Anal fin is short caudal fin is forked.
Scales are cycloid.
Scale number on the lateral line is 40
to 45.
This is a column dweller and
extremely herbivorous fish.
Ponds, rivers, lakes, canals, etc. both
open and closed water bodies
22. Phylum: Chordata
Class: Osteichthyes
Family:
Pangasiidae (Shark
catfishes)
Genus: Pangasius
Species: pangasius
Common name:
Pangas catfish
Local name: Pangas
7. Pangasius pangasius (Hamilton, 1822)
Fin formula: D I6- 7; A iv-v; 26-29; P I 12-13; V I 5
23. Identification characters:
Body elongated and laterally
compressed, upper surface head is
unpolished and snout obtusely
rounded.
Upper jaw is longer than lower jaw
and mouth gape moderate.
Two pairs of barbels are present.
Dorsal spine serrated interiorly.
Pectoral spine is comparatively
stronger than dorsal spine and
serrated internally.
24. Caudal fin deeply forked. Lateral line
is complete.
Colour on abdomen silvery, side of
head contains golden tinge, above the
lateral line whitish grey, silvery purple
on flanks and yellowish dark on back.
This fish is carnivorous species but
also voracious.
It feeds on decaying animal and
vegetative matter.
25. Phylum: Chordata
Class: Osteihthyes
Order: Perciformes
Family: Cichlidae
Genus: Oreochromis
Species: O. niloticus
Common
name: Mozambique
Tilapia
Local name: Tilapia
8. Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758)
D. XV-XVI 10-12, P1. 14-15, P2. I 5 A. III 10-11
26. Identification characters:
Elongated body is fairly compressed
and deep.
Upper profile is more convex than
ventral.
Mouth is terminal and very wide.
Lateral line is complete.
The snout is rounded and jaws are
equal. Dorsal fin is inserted above the
base of the pectoral fin.
Caudal fin is rounded.
Scales are cycloid.
27. Pelvic and anal fins of breeding
males tipped with dark grey.
Throat, chest and belly are dusky
grey.
Females and young with pale slate-
grey body and white chest.
Belly and pelvic fins are black or
dark grey lappets.
vertical stripes of caudal fin dark
brown on a light grey background,
pectoral rays red to light brown.
29. Identification characters:
Body cilindrical, robust.
Head broad, its width more than width of
mouth cleft; adipose eyelid well developed,
covering most of pupil.
upper lip thin, without papillae, labial
teeth of upper jaw small, straight, dense,
usually in several rows.
mouth cleft ending below posterior
nostril.
Two dorsal fins; the first with 4 spines;
the second with 8-9 soft rays.
30. origin of first dorsal fin nearer to snout tip
than to caudal fin base.
origin of second dorsal fin at vertical
between a quarter and a half along anal fin
base.
Anal fin with 8 soft finrays. Pectoral fins
with 16-19 rays; pectoral axillary about one-
third length of fin.
Scales in leteral series 36-45.
Colour back blue/green, flanks and belly
pale or silvery; scales on back and flanks
usually streaked to form longitudinal
stripes.
32. Identification characters:
Dorsal spines 7 - 9; Dorsal soft rays 10-
11; Anal spines 3; Anal soft rays 7 - 8.
Body elongate, mouth large, slightly
oblique, upper jaw extending behind the
eye.
Lower edge of preopercle serrated,
with strong spine at its angle; opercle
with a small spine and with a serrated
flap above the origin of the lateral line.
Caudal fin rounded.
33. Found in coastal waters, estuaries
and lagoons, in clear to turbid water.
A diadromous fish, inhabiting
rivers before returning to the
estuaries to spawn.
Larvae and young juveniles live in
brackish temporary swamps
associated with estuaries.
Feed on fishes and crustaceans.
They reach 1500-3000 g in one year
in ponds under optimum conditions
