Teleostei (teleosts) >
Osteoglossiformes (Bony tongues) >
Notopteridae (Featherbacks or knifefishes) > Notopterinae
Etymology: Chitala: Bangladesh local name.
More on author: Bleeker.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal. Tropical
Asia: Borneo, Sumatra and Java in Indonesia, Malaya, and Thailand (Ref. 7050). Found in the Mekong basin (Ref. 12693). Protected in Indonesia as Notopterus sp. (Ref. 12217).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 150 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7050)
Short description
Morphology | Morphometrics
Jaws increasing in length throughout life, extending far beyond posterior margin of eye in large specimens; small juveniles with slightly oblique bars on body and anal fin; larger juveniles and adults with plain body, overall silvery to bronze in life (Ref. 43281).
Obligate air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Inhabits mainstreams and forest streams (Ref. 58784). Feeds on fishes, probably has a crepuscular or nocturnal activity pattern (Ref. 12693). Other food of this species includes insects and small vertebrates (Ref. 58784).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Roberts, T.R., 1992. Systematic revision of the old world freshwater fish family Notopteridae. Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwat. 2(4):361-383. (Ref. 7431)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 126983)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
More information
Common namesSynonymsMetabolismPredatorsEcotoxicologyReproductionMaturitySpawningSpawning aggregationFecundityEggsEgg development
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingNutrientsMass conversion
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