(Right now the "Previous" and "Next" doesn't maintain serial. We're working to getting it fixed,)

Scientific Name: Chitala chitala (Hamilton, 1822)

Synonym: Notopterus chitala (Currently unaccepted)

English Name: Clown knifefish
Local/Bangla Name: Chital (চিতল)
Bonyfish : Chitala chitala

Photo: Hamid Badar Osmany (Fishbase)

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Teleostei
Order: Osteoglossiformes
Family: Notopteridae
Description:
Color of body is olive dorsally with about 15 silvery bars on each side of the dorsal ridge and silver laterally. 3 to 10 black spots are present at caudal area. Body is deeply compressed and elongated. About 5 to 9 round black spots occur near the end of the tail. Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Anal soft rays: 117-127.
Habitat & Distribution in Bangladesh:
In rivers, beels, reservoirs, canals and ponds throughout Bangladesh.
Environment:
Freshwater (Demersal)
Main References:

Rahman AKA (2005) Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh. 2nd ed. Zool. Soc. Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh. xviii + 394 pp.

Other References:

Hossain M, Wahab M, Belton B (2012) The Checklist of the Riverine Fishes of Bangladesh. FAN Bangladesh. 1. 29-39.

Siddiqui KU, Islam MA, Kabir SMH, Ahmad M, Ahmed ATA, Rahman AKA, Haque EU, Ahmed ZU, Begum ZNT, Hasan MA, Khondker M and Rahman MM (eds.) (2007) Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh. Vol. 23. Freshwater Fishes. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka. 300+xxxi. pp.

IUCN Bangladesh (2015) Red List of Bangladesh Volume 5: Freshwater Fishes. IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Bangladesh Country Office, Dhaka, Bangladesh, pp xvi+360

DoF Bangladesh (2023) Album: Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Bangladesh, Dhaka. 200 pp.

Ahmed MS, Datta SK, Zhilik AA (2020) Molecular diversity of freshwater fishes of Bangladesh assessed by DNA barcoding. Bangladesh Journal of Zoology, 48(1), 1-19.

Giri SS ed, 2017 Monographs on Threatened Freshwater Fishes of South Asia. SAARC Agriculture Centre, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 305 p.

Mahalder B, Mustafa MG (2013) Introduction to fish species diversity: Sunamganj haor region within CBRMP's working area. Community Based Resource Management Project-LGED, Worldfish, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 75.

Froese R, Pauly D (Editors) (2024) FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (02/2024).

DNA Barcodes from Bangladesh
GenBank Accession Number:
COI: MF140393  
Other DNA Barcodes & Nucleutide Sequences
Global IUCN conservation status:
BD IUCN conservation status:
Other Information