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Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (1) Dr V. V. Binoy (1)

Description: 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. Habitat: 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. 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. Reproduction: Female individuals (4.95-5.44 cm SL) collected had distended bellies containing mature eggs. Diet: In the laboratory, the fishes thrive on Artemia nauplii and minced earthworms. Etymology: The specific name 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).

Indian cave catfish

None

Kryptoglanidae

Asia: Western Ghats in Kerala, India.

6.0cm (2½ins)

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Binoy, V,V,, K.S. Roshan and V.B. Rakesh, 2012. Occurrence of Kryptoglanis shajii, an enigmatic subterranean-spring catfish (Siluriformes, Incertae sedis) in the channels of paddy fields. Current Science 102(2):161.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2023. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, ( 02/2023 ).
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.