Schizothorax

Genus: Schizothorax

Species: S. labiatus

Diagnostic characters ( Table 1 and Figure 2 View Figures 2 )

Head: Head is usually non-tapering and the snout projects before the mouth to a lesser degree. The head length during the present study varied from 3.6 to 6.0 cm (4.8 ± 0.6 cm) and the snout length varied from 1.2 to 2.3 cm (1.6 ± 0.3 cm).

Mouth position and size: The position of the mouth is sub-inferior. Horizontal mouth width ranged from 1.0 to 1.6 cm (1.2 ± 0.2 cm) and the vertical mouth width ranged from 0.8 to 1.4 cm (1.0 ± 0.2 cm).

Lower lip: The lower lip is fleshy, thick, and expanded moderately but non-keratinized. The lower lip has prominent trilobed bulging and constrictions in between and thus forming grooves on the left and right side of the central bulb/lobe. The lower lip length varied from 2 to

2.5 cm (2.1 ± 0.2 cm).

Upper lip: The upper lip is fleshier than that of S. plagiostomus and was found to vary from 2.4 to 3.4 cm in length (2.6 ± 0.3 cm).

Meristic attributes: ( Table 2)

The number of dorsal fin rays varies from 8 to 9; pectoralfin rays vary from 15 to 19; pelvic fin rays vary from 9 to 11; anal-fin rays vary from 6 to 7 and caudal fin rays vary from 17 to 19. Among the three Schizothorax species studied during the period, the lateral line scales were found to be more in the case of S. labiatus and varied from 98 to 150. The gill rakers were found to be short and less spaced and the number of gill rakers varied from 13 to 22.

3) Schizothorax esocinus Heckel, 1838

Local name (Kashmiri): Chirruh

Classification:

Domain: Eukarya

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Osteichthyes

Order: Cypriniformes

A handy note on the basic taxonomic features of five Schizothorax species of Kashmir Himalaya, India