Lot 8: Identification tips for 3 Colisa and 1 Badis sp. from Doon Valley

Sort out the brightly or dull coloured, laterally compressed fish(es) with long spiny and soft-rayed dorsal and anal fins and obliquely running vertical bands or oblong spots on the sides:

……… place them labeled as either Trichogaster / Colisa / Badis sp.

This ‘Lot’ has been found frequenting marshy weedy thickets along Suswa river in the Eastern Doon and Asan in Western Doon.

Characterization:

The fishes of this ‘Lot’ have two things in common i.e.,

(a) The presence of a long-based dorsal fin and the presence of spines (spiny rays) in the dorsal, anal and pelvic fins, a characterization of the Order: Perciformes (most diversified of all the orders).

(b) The presence of Ctenoid scales on the body, extending up to behind eye orbit.

Segregation:

This lot can be segregated into ‘2 Sub-lots’, on the basis of diagnostic colourations:
- Sub-lot 1: Brightly coloured (bluish, reddish, golden hues) with dorso-ventrally obliquely running bands on the flanks.
- Sub-lot 2: Drab coloured with dark brown ground colour and more darker vertical bands on the flanks and a black spot covering one full scale just above the base of preopercle.
Sub-lot 1 has two more characters different from the Sub-lot 2 i.e., presence of a long filamentous ray in place of the pelvic fin and a long-based anal fin, too (in addition the long-based dorsal fin).
Identify this Lot ….as species belonging to Genus Colisa / Trichogaster

Sub-lot 2 is different from the Sub-lot 1 in having only a long-based dorsal fin, anal fin being shorter.

Identify this Lot ….as species belonging to Genus Badis as Badis badis

LOT – 8 [SUB-LOT 1]

[Order: Perciformes; Suborder: Anabantoidei; Family: Osphronemidae; Subfamily: Luciocephalinae (Nelson, 2006)]

The sample identified as belonging to Genus Colisa (= Trichogaster) can be segregated into 3 species viz.,
Colisa lalia (= Trichogaster lalius)
Colisa fasciatus (= Trichogaster fasciata)
Colisa labiosus (= Trichogaster labiosa)

For the detailed Taxonomical analysis of the three species pl. refer to research paper entitled, ‘On Colisa sp. from Eastern Doon – Taxonomical Notes and distributional New Record’, Ann. For., 17(1): 125 – 134 (2009)’.

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS OF ‘On Colisa sp. from Eastern Doon – Taxonomical Notes and distributional New Record’, Ann. For., 17(1): 125 – 134 (2009)’.

colisa_PDF[PDF] On Colisa sp. from Eastern Doon – Taxonomical Notes and distributional New Record

Photographs of Colisa sp.

A collection from Suswa [Eastern Doon] at Basanti Mata Mandir (Raiwala) showing trapped specimens of Colisa, Badis, Rasbora and other aquatic biota (Ranatra, Palaemon sp. etc.)

Colisa lalia: A characteristic rhomboidal body

Colisa labiosus (Male): Oblong (ellipsoidal) Body

Colisa labiosus (Female): Oblong (ellipsoidal) Body

Colisa labiosus (Male): Thick and papillated lips

Colisa labiosus: Kept in laboratory glass trough.

Colisa fasciata: Kept in laboratory glass trough.

A glass trough with Colisa sp. in laboratory, seen with bubble foam at the surface, a habit of ‘Bubble nest’ formation, an inherent tendency of all the fellow members like Anabas, Betta, Belontia etc.

View these videos and watch the compatibility in living by Colisa sp. with Puntius, Rasbora and Badis

LOT – 8 [Sub-lot 2]

[Order: Perciformes;Suborder: Percoidei; Family:Nandidae; Subfamily: Badinae (Nelson, 2006)]

Frequent in the catches with Colisa, Puntius, Danio, Esomus, Rasbora etc. , prevalent only at the downstream sections between 300 – 500 m above msl where there is thick growth of submerged and marginal emergent aquatic vegetation.

Body, oval, laterally compressed. Mouth small and upturned. These drab coloured fishes, with dark brown ground colour have darker vertical bands on the flanks and a black spot covering one full scale just above the base of preopercle. They have a long-based dorsal fin but anal fin shorter (in contrast to Colisa sp.). Lateral line (interrupted just opposite the end of dorsal) placed high on the body.