Scientific Name- Salmophasia phulo (Hamilton, 1822)
Common Name-Fine scale razorbelly minows
Local Name- Chelwa, Chela
Classification
| Class | Osteichthyes |
| Sub-Class | Actinopterygii |
| Order | Cypriniformes |
| Family | Cyprinidae |
| Genus | Cultrinae |
| Species | Salmophasia |
| Class | phulo |
Habits and habitat
It is found in ponds, tanks, beels and chaurs. Inhabits in Gangetic and Sone rivers with associated canals, also found in flood plain area, stagnant and flowing water and sub mountain region. Mostly found in districts of Rohtas, Kaimoor, Aurangabad, Jahanabad, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Bhojpur, Patna, and Vaishali. Salient features
Salient features
Body is elongated and lateraly compressed. It has a very shining brilliant silvery colour with bright silvery lateral band. Back on top is greenish and belly is whitish. Fins are hyaline, delicate and yellowish in colour. It feeds on plankton, aquatic insects, plant matter, tubifix and worms. It is fast mover and column feeder. The anal fin in adult is long and pointed, the first ray being opaque white. The ray in fins is confined to the base of the tail fin in the female, the colouration extending well into the lower and partially into the upper lobe.
The fish breeds in normal condition at temperature 25-260C. Eggs are non-adhesive, they do not stick to the plants, which are useful only as a screen to hide the eggs until the fishes can be removed after spawning is completed. Attains a maximum length of 12cm.
Source-
- Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore
