''Rita'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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 ...

found in

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

. These

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

have a single pair of mandibular barbels, an elongated

Weberian apparatus The Weberian apparatus is an anatomical structure that connects the swim bladder to the auditory system in fishes belonging to the superorder Ostariophysi. When it is fully developed in adult fish, the elements of the apparatus are sometimes col ...

firmly sutured to the

basioccipital The basilar part of the occipital bone (also basioccipital) extends forward and upward from the foramen magnum, and presents in front an area more or less quadrilateral in outline. In the young skull this area is rough and uneven, and is joined t ...

and the sensory canal on the posttemporal enclosed with bone.Ng, H.H. (2004)
''Rita macracanthus'', a new riverine catfish (Teleostei: Bagridae) from South Asia.
''Zootaxa, 568: 1–12.''

Species

There are currently 7 recognized species in this genus: * '' Rita bakalu'' K. K. Lal, Dwivedi &

R. K. Singh Raj Kumar Singh (born 20 December 1952) is a former Indian bureaucrat and a current Union Cabinet Minister in the Government of India. He is a Member of the Indian Parliament for Arrah, Bihar, since May 2014. Singh is a 1975 batch Bihar ...

, 2016 Lal, K.K., Dwivedi, A.K., Singh, R.K., Mohindra, V., Chandra, S., Gupta, B.K., Dhawan, S. & Jena, J. (2016): A new bagrid catfish species, ''Rita bakalu'' (Siluriformes: Bagridae), from the Godavari River basin, India. ''Hydrobiologia, 790 (1): 67–81.'' * ''

Rita chrysea ''Rita chrysea'', or the Mahanadi rita, is a species of bagrid catfish endemic to India where it inhabits the Mahanadi River system in Orissa and Madhya Pradesh. It is found in rivers and large streams. Spawning occurs during the monsoon ...

'' F. Day, 1877 * '' Rita gogra'' (

Sykes Sykes may refer to: People * Sir Alan Sykes, 1st Baronet, businessman and British politician * Annette Sykes, New Zealand human rights lawyer and Māori activist * Bob Sykes (American football), American football player * Bob Sykes (baseball), ...

, 1839) * ''

Rita kuturnee ''Rita kuturnee'' is a species of bagrid catfish endemic to India where it occurs in the rivers of the Deccan Plateau The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely def ...

'' (

, 1839) * ''

Rita macracanthus ''Rita macracanthus'' is a species of bagrid catfish found in the Indus River drainage. It has been recorded from Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. It grows to a length of 26.3 cm. ''R. macracanthus'' feeds on invertebrate Invertebrat ...

'' H. H. Ng, 2004 * ''

Rita rita ''Rita rita'' (Common names: rita (English), রিঠা (Bengali)) is a species of bagrid catfish that is found across southern Asia. It has been recorded in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. It is one of the giants ...

'' ( F. Hamilton, 1822) * ''

Rita sacerdotum ''Rita sacerdotum'', the Salween rita, is a species of bagrid catfish that occurs in Myanmar and Thailand where it is found in large rivers (such as the Salween River , ''Mae Nam Salawin'' ( , name_etymology = , image = Swee ...

'' J. Anderson, 1879

References

Bagridae Fish of South Asia Freshwater fish genera Taxa named by Pieter Bleeker Catfish genera {{Bagridae-stub