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ur Factsheet going into the month of August 2017 takes us to the Indian and Asian family of the Sisoridae and namely the Sisor genera. There is six species in this genus, Sisor barakensis from Manipur, India, S. chennuah from the Brahmaputra River drainage in India, S. pakistanicus from the River Chenab in Pakistan, our factsheet of the month S. rabdophorus from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, S. rheophilus from Ganges River basin in India, and S. torosus also from the Ganges River basin in India.

Sisor rabdophorus

Sisor rabdophorus was originally described from the rivers of Bengal and Bihar (Hamilton 1822). Previously thought to be widely distributed in the Brahmaputra, Ganges and Indus river drainages, this species was shown to be more restricted in distribution (the lower Ganges drainage) by Ng (2003), who designated a neotype (from the Bhagirathi River, a distributary of the Ganges in West Bengal) for this species. It is likely that material identified as this species from the Indus River drainage is not conspecific.

Sisor rabdophorus - head view

Sisor rabdophorus - line drawing

Sisor typically inhabit large rivers with fine sandy bottoms and fairly swift current.

Sisor rabdophorus is a peculiarly modified catfish confined to some of the tributaries of the upper reaches of north Indian rivers. Its most striking features are the presence of a series of bony plates on the back and a very long upper caudal filament.

Indian Whiptail Catfish.

None

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Asia: Ganges River basin, West Bengal, India. Type locality: Northern rivers of Bengal and Behar [now India: West Bengal State, Bhagirathi River at crossing point between Kalna (Barddhaman District) and Nisinghapur (Nadia District) (23º13'33" N, 88º32'41.4"E).

18.0cm (7ins)

14-22°c (57-72°f.)

6.5-7.5.

Sisor rabdophorus has fewer lateral line ossicles (66–70 vs 72–79) and serrations on the anterior (27–29 vs 29–49) and posterior (6–15 vs 12–22) edges of the pectoral spine compared to the other species. It further differs from S. chennuah and S. torosus in having a more slender body (body depth at anus 5.0–5.4% SL vs 5.6–7.8), and from S. rheophilus in having a smaller eye (9.4–12.2% HL vs 13.2–16.3) and a shorter snout (53.9–55.7% HL vs 56.2–60.3).

Body colour: Blackish above and lighter below.

A fine sandy substrate is very much preferred, since these fish will spend a considerable amount of time burrowing into the substrate. This species is sensitive to temperature and oxygen levels, so the water should be on the cool side and well-oxygenated, preferably with a moderate to strong current. Additional tank decor can be in the form of large driftwood and/or rocks. A peaceful species that should thrive in a hillstream-type biotope tank.

Not reported

Better to feed frozen and live foods as they do not seem to feed on normal aquarium fare.

Photo Credits

© Beta Mahatvaraj
R. Mintern - Day, Francis (1878) The Fishes of India. Volume 2.