Puntius nelsoni Plamoottil 2014

This species is distinguished from its close congeners by the following set of characters: maxillaries are feeble, short and never reach orbit, the nostrils inserted in the middle of orbit and snout tip, head deeper (89.3- 96.2 % HL), mouth gape wider (29.2- 31.0 % HL) and snout shorter (22.7- 28.8 % HL); body and fins are yellowish; a narrow light bluish green mark on summit of occiput; outer to operculum with numerous fine black dots present in the form of a thin band which of both sides join together at occiput; differs from P. dorsalis, P. sophore and P. stigma in lacking (vs. presence) any color spot on the base of dorsal fin; differs further from P. dorsalis, P. sophore, P. parrah, P. viridis and P. chola in having a wider head; differs from P. madhusoodani in having 5½ (vs. 4½) scales between lateral line and dorsal fin; differs from P. mahecola in having 25- 26 lateral line scales (vs. 22) and 3½ scales (vs. 2½) between lateral line and ventral fin (Ref. 104747).

This species occurs in Kallumkal, a site of merging of Pamba River with Manimala River. This part of the river is blanketed by mud dominant sediments, the sand occurs as discrete patches within the mud dominant deposits. The depth and width of the channel at Kallumkal ranges from 1 to 10 and 30 to 85 m, respectively; the reach has a bank height of 1 to 2 m from the general waterlevel. Riparian vegetation is moderate; major flora includes Bambusa bambos, B. vulgaris, Hibiscus tiliaceus and Ochreinauclea missionis; and Cynodon dactylon andCymbopogon flexuosus are major grass species in this area. Some fishes co-occurring with this species in the region are: Rasbora dandia, Osteobrama bakeri, Amblypharyngodon microlepis, Dawkinsia filamentosus, Haludaria fasciatus, Puntius parrah, P. viridis, Pethia ticto, Gonoproktopterus kurali, Catla catla, Labeo rohita, Labeo dussumieri, Cirrhina mrigala, Horabagrus brachysoma, and Wallago attu (Ref. 104747).

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The Travancore yellow barb (Puntius nelsoni) is a species of fish in the family Cyprinidae.^[2] The species was discovered in 2011, named and described by Mathews Plamoottil from the Baby John Memorial Government College, Chavara, Kollam, Kerala in 2014 in the International Journal of Fauna and Biological Studies. It was collected from Kallumkal region of Manimala River in Kerala, India (Western Ghats). P. nelsoni is named after Nelson P. Abraham of St. Thomas college, Kozhencherry .^[1][3]

Distribution

The Travancore yellow barb has so far only been recorded from the Manimala River which has its origin in Muthavara Hills of the Western Ghats, at 762m (2500 feet) above main sea level. It may also be possible to find the Travancore yellow barb in the Pamba River. The holotype was collected in Kallumkal of the Thiruvalla region, which is the confluence of the Manimala river in to the Pamba River.^[1]

Description

The holotype ZSI/WGRC/IR/23 and 3 Paratypes ZSI/ WGRC/ IR/ 2354 was found in the Kallumkal region of Manimala River, near Thiruvalla, in the Pattanamthitta District on 21 August 2011. P. nelsoni can be distinguished from the rest of the species in its genus (Puntius) by the combination of following unique characteristics such as the smaller snout, the short, feeble maxillaries which do not reach the orbit, nostrils placed halfway between the orbit and snout tip, the deeper head with a wider gape and the wide head. There are five and half scales between lateral line and the dorsal fin, and the lateral line has 25–26 scales with three and half scales between lateral line and ventral fin. The holotype had a total tail to snout length of 91 millimetres. In general, the body shows an elongated, laterally compressed form.

The body and fins of the Travencore yellow barb are yellow, as in the name.^[4] At the summit of occiput, there is a blue-green mark, and there are many fine black dots forming a thin band over the gills. The end of its caudal fin is dusky in color, and the back of its head is a greenish-yellow colour.^[1]

Habitat

The Travencore yellow barb's habitat shows a substrate which is largely dominated by mud sediments with intermittent patches of bare sand, among the mud.^[2]

References

The Travancore yellow barb (Puntius nelsoni) is a species of fish in the family Cyprinidae. The species was discovered in 2011, named and described by Mathews Plamoottil from the Baby John Memorial Government College, Chavara, Kollam, Kerala in 2014 in the International Journal of Fauna and Biological Studies. It was collected from Kallumkal region of Manimala River in Kerala, India (Western Ghats). P. nelsoni is named after Nelson P. Abraham of St. Thomas college, Kozhencherry .