/siluriformes/ritidae/rita/rita/1.jpg "Rita rita")
/siluriformes/ritidae/rita/rita/2.jpg "Rita rita")
Albino/siluriformes/ritidae/rita/rita/3.jpg "Rita rita")
/siluriformes/ritidae/rita/rita/4.jpg "Rita rita")
/siluriformes/ritidae/rita/rita/5.jpg "Rita rita")
/siluriformes/ritidae/rita/rita/6.jpg "Rita rita")
 All Fishes Data Sheet | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Rita rita (Hamilton, 1822) |
| Common Names | Bengal Catfish Whale Catfish |
| Type Locality | Bengal estuaries. |
| Synonym(s) | Arius cruciger, Arius ritoides, Pimelodus rita, Rita buchanani, Rita crucigera, Rita ritoides |
| Pronunciation | REET ah - REE tah |
| Etymology | The name Rita is derived from the local name of the fish. |
| Species Information | |
| Size | 1500mm or 59.1" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp. |
| Identification | Bagrid catfishes of the genus Rita Bleeker, 1854 are found in large rivers throughout the
Indian subcontinent and Myanmar, and are capable of reaching sizes to 1500 mm TL (Talwar
and Jhingran, 1991), although mature specimens of ca. 200-300 mm SL are more commonly encountered. The genus is diagnosed by the following synapomorphies (Mo,
1991): single pair of mandibular barbels, elongated Weberian apparatus firmly sutured to
the basioccipital, and the sensory canal on the posttemporal enclosed within the bone. Distinguished by its small eyes, purplish gray color, top of head covered by thin skin, and vomerine teeth in two broad ovoid patches. |
| Sexing | Males have an elongate genital papilla in front of the anal fin. |
| Habitat Information | |
| Distribution | Asia: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Pakistan Waters, Indus (click on these areas to find other species found there) Indian waters, North Eastern India Waters, Padma, Ganges (click on these areas to find other species found there) Log in to view data on a map. |
| IUCN Red List Category | Least Concern, range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2010. |
| pH | 5.8 - 7.2 |
| Temperature | 18.0-26.0°C or 64.4-78.8°F (Show species within this range) |
| Husbandry Information | |
| Feeding | Readily eats all manner of live and prepared foods. Will eat smaller fishes. User data. |
| Furniture | Provide plenty of driftwood as hiding places. |
| Compatibility | Although a fairly peaceful fish, it will eat smaller tankmates and is therefore best kept only with large, robust fishes. Extremely large cyprinids like Labeo spp. are ideal tankmates. |
| Breeding | Not reported in the aquarium. |
| Breeding Reports | There is no breeding report. |
| Further Information | |
| Reference | An account of the fishes found in the river Ganges, pp 165, 376, Pl. 24 (fig. 53). |
| Registered Keepers | There is no registered keeper. |
| Wishlists | Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There is no wish to keep this species. |
| Spotters | Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 4 records of this fish being seen, view them all. |
| Forum BBCode | |
 | Look up R. rita on PlanetCatfish.com |
 | Look up R. rita on Fishbase |
 | Look up R. rita on Encyclopedia of Life |
 | Look up R. rita on Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
 | LFS label creator |
| Last Update | 2020 Sep 20 04:39 (species record created: 2003 Jan 11 00:00) |