''Horabagrus'' is a genus of

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive ...

in the family Horabagridae endemic to rivers in the Western Ghats in Kerala and Karnataka, India. ''H. brachysoma'' is an important food fish and members of this genus can be found in the

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

trade.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Horabagrus'' is usually classified under the family

Bagridae The Bagridae are a family of catfish that are native to Africa ('' Bagrus'') and Asia (all other genera) from Japan to Borneo. It includes about 245 species. These fish are commonly known as naked catfishes or bagrid catfishes. Many large bagrid ...

, but there are disagreements. The genus name is after the Indian zoologist

Sunder Lal Hora Sunder Lal Hora (22 May 1896 – 8 December 1955) was an Indian ichthyologist known for his biogeographic theory on the affinities of Western Ghats and Indomalayan fish forms. Life Hora was born at Hafizabad in the Punjab (modern da ...

. Though listed under Bagridae, ''Horabagrus'' is not listed under either of the two Bagrid subfamilies by the All Catfish Species Inventory. In Nelson (2006), the genus is provisionally placed in the family

Schilbeidae Schilbeidae is a family of catfishes native to Africa and Asia. These fish tend to swim in open water. Schilbid catfishes usually have dorsal fins with a short base and a spine, but ''Parailia'' lack a dorsal fin altogether. Most species also p ...

, where it is sometimes recognized as its own subfamily. In de Pinna (1998), this genus is classified as sister to the catfishes Pangasiidae and above, which would require a separate family. This genus has also been classified in its own family Horabagridae. In a 2007 paper, ''Horabagrus'' was not classified under any current catfish families. In 2016, Wang ''et al.'' placed this genus in the family Horabagridae.

Species

There are currently 2 recognized species in this genus: * '' Horabagrus brachysoma'' ( Günther, 1864) (Günther's catfish) * ''

Horabagrus nigricollaris ''Horabagrus nigricollaris'' is a species of catfish endemic to India. It is also known as the "Black collared catfish". It is found only in the Chalakudy River in Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was for ...

'' Pethiyagoda &

Kottelat Maurice Kottelat (born 16 July 1957 in Delémont, SwitzerlandCo ...

, 1994

A third species, ''Horabagrus melanosoma'', was described in 2013, but later authorities considered it inseparable from ''H. brachysoma'' and therefore a

junior synonym The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnae ...

.Ali, Katwate, Philip, Dhaneesh, Bijukumar, Raghavan, and Dahanukar (2014). Horabagrus melanosoma: a junior synonym of Horabagrus brachysoma (Teleostei: Horabagridae). ZooTaxa 3881 (4).

In the aquarium

''H. brachysoma'' is a common fish in the

trade. ''H. nigricollaris'' is more seldom seen because it is not commercially farmed like ''H. brachysoma'' . Nevertheless, the care for these two species is similar. These fish are adaptable and are not picky about water conditions; also, they are hardy and easy to feed. However, these fish are light-shy and require plants or decorations to hide underneath for darkness; these fish are relatively secretive during the day.

References

Horabagridae Bagridae Fish of Southeast Asia Endemic fauna of India Catfish genera Freshwater fish genera {{Siluriformes-stub