Rita Bleeker

Heok Hee Ng, 2004, Rita macracanthus, a new riverine catfish (Teleostei: Bagridae) from South Asia., Zootaxa 568, pp. 1-12 : 1-2

publication ID	z00568p001
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6270838
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3319A921-FEC9-650D-D1CC-A6E539A04B88
treatment provided by	Thomas
scientific name	Rita Bleeker
status

Treatment

[[ Rita Bleeker View in CoL View at ENA ZBK ]]

Bagrid catfishes of the genus Rita Bleeker, 1854 ZBK are found in large rivers throughout the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar, and are capable of reaching sizes to 1500 mm TL (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991), although mature specimens of ca. 200-300 mm SL are more commonly encountered. The genus is diagnosed by the following synapomorphies (Mo, 1991): single pair of mandibular barbels, elongated Weberian apparatus firmly sutured to the basioccipital, and the sensory canal on the posttemporal enclosed within the bone. Rita ZBK and its sister taxon Nanobagrus Mo, 1991 ZBK are the sister group to all other members of Bagridae (Mo, 1991). The most recent review of Rita ZBK was provided by Ferraris (1999) in his redescription of R. sacerdotum Anderson, 1879 ZBK in which five valid species of Rita ZBK were recognized: R. rita(Hamilton, 1822) ZBK , R. gogra (Sykes, 1839) , R. kuturnee (Sykes, 1839) , R. chrysea Day, 1877 ZBK and R. sacerdotum Anderson, 1879 ZBK .

While comparing material identified as Rita rita ZBK from the Ganges and the Indus River drainages, differences were observed which suggested that the Indus River material belong to an undescribed species, which is described below.