''Securicula gora'' is a species of cyprinid fish found in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and possibly in Nepal. It is the only species in its genus.

Description

Sericula gora'' is a silvery fish with an upward pointing mouth, shich has a prominent cartilagenous knob on the lower jaw, and a keel running along the abdomen from below the pectoral fin to the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

. The dorsal fin has its origin in front of that of the anal fin. The caudal fin has its lower lobe longer than the upper lobe and the

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral surface of fish. The paired pelvic fins are homologous to the hindlimbs of tetrapods. Structure and function Structure In actinopterygians, the pelvic fin consists of two en ...

s has well developed axillary scales. There are 140-160 scales in the

lateral line The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelial ...

which is complete and decurved. It grows to a maximum length of 24.5cm.

Distribution

''Securicula gora'' is known to occur in the Ganges and

Brahmaputra The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. It ...

drainages of India, Bangladesh and Nepal. The presence of this species in the Punjab in India and Pakistan has not been confirmed.

Habitat and ecology

''Securicula gora'' is a pelagic, freshwater species which can be found in rivers,

beel A beel (Bengali and Assamese: বিল) is a billabong or a lake-like wetland with static water (as opposed to moving water in rivers and canals - typically called in Bengali, in the Ganges - Brahmaputra flood plains of the Eastern Indian s ...

s and canals. It is a predatory species which feeds on insects, insect larvae and crustaceans which it takes at or near the surface of the water. In 1988 a new species of monogenean parasite, ''Heteromazocraes mamaevi'' was described from specimens of ''S. gora'' sampled near Lucknow, until then this genus of parasites had been thought only to occur on members of the

Clupeid Clupeidae is a family of ray-finned fishes, comprising, for instance, the herrings, shads, sardines, hilsa, and menhadens. The clupeoids include many of the most important food fishes in the world, and are also commonly caught for production of f ...

family Engraulidae.

Conservation and Human use

''Securicula gora'' is a common and widespread species where it occurs and is thus treated as Least Concern by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

but its habitat can be affected by silting caused by logging and consequent deforestation of the land surrounding the waters it inhabits. This species is consumed as food in Bangladesh and other parts of it range where it is normally of minor interest to commercial fisheries, except in parts of India where it is commercially fished for.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1102715 Danios Monotypic ray-finned fish genera Fish of Asia Fish of India Fish of Pakistan Fish of Bangladesh Taxa named by Albert Günther