Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Siluriformes (Catfishes) > Kryptoglanidae (Indian cave catfishes)
Etymology: Kryptoglanis: Named for its cryptic habitat; Latin, ‘crypta’, a vault or tunnel; ‘glanis’, a catfish; shajii: Named for C.P. Shaji, a fish taxonomist who significantly contributed to the documentation of freshwater fish diversity of the Kerala region of Western Ghats by the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI Peechi).
Eponymy: Dr C P Shaji is an Indian ichthyologist and taxonomist from the state of Kerala who is Principal Scientific Officer at the Kerala State Biodiversity Board. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.

Issue
Family Incertae sedis.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Asia: Western Ghats in Kerala, India.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 5.9 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 86813); 5.4 cm SL (female)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

This species is distinguished from other siluriform species by the following set of characters: viz. no dorsal fin; anal fin with long base and completely confluent with caudal fin; 70-74 total number of fin rays in the anal and caudal fins; subcutaneous eyes; upwardly directed mouth with distinctly projecting lower jaw; fan-like pectoral fin, no spines; 4 pairs of barbels (Ref. 86813).

Occurs in subterranean streams. Observed to inhabit an open water body, over the paddy fields and water sources feeding paddy fields. Found mainly hiding between submerged vegetation present on the sides of the water body (Ref. 92081). Specimens collected from 5.5-m-deep well containing water where it is situated on the slope of a hilly terrain and receives water from groundwater springs, subterranean. Female individuals (4.95-5.44 cm SL) collected had distended bellies containing mature eggs. In the laboratory, the fishes thrive on Artemia nauplii and minced earthworms (Ref. 86813).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Vincent, M. and J. Thomas, 2011. Kryptoglanis shajii, an enigmatic subterranean-spring catfish (Siluriformes, Incertae sedis) from Kerala, India. Ichthyol. Res. 58(2):161-165. (Ref. 86813)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

Endangered (EN) (B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)); Date assessed: 30 January 2021

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators

Ecology
Ecology

Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance

Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
Spawning
Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics

Distribution
Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
BRUVS - Videos

Anatomy
Gill area
Brain
Otolith

Physiology
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)

Genetics
Genetics
Heterozygosity
Heritability

Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.

Outreach
Collaborators

Taxonomy
Common names
Synonyms
Morphology
Morphometrics
Pictures

References
References

Tools

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

Download XML

Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 1.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00389 (0.00180 - 0.00842), b=3.12 (2.94 - 3.30), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.2 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).

Kryptoglanis shajii Vincent & Thomas, 2011