Kryptoglanis shajii

Kryptoglanis shajii is a species of subterranean catfish found in subsurface waters in the Western Ghats in Kerala, India. This cavefish grows to a length of 5.9 centimetres (2.3 in) SL.[2][3] It is currently the only known member of its genus and family.[1] Although first discovered from underground waters, it has also been seen in dense vegetation in paddy fields and was found to be common in this habitat in the Chalakudy.[4] The species strongly avoids light and feeds on small invertebrates.[4]

Kryptoglanis shajii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Kryptoglanidae
Britz, Kakkassery & Raghavan, 2014[1]
Genus: Kryptoglanis
Vincent & J. Thomas, 2011[2]
Species:
K. shajii
Binomial name
Kryptoglanis shajii
Vincent & J. Thomas, 2011[2]

This genus and Horaglanis, both from the Western Ghats, are the only known underground-living catfish in India.[1][5]

Morphological characteristics

The morphology of K. shajii differs from all other known species of catfish and includes such features as the absence of dorsal fin; the presence of four pairs of barbels; an upwardly directed mouth, with a distinctly projecting lower jaw with 4 set of teeth; subcutaneous eyes; anal fin completely confluent with the caudal fin; anal and caudal fins together carry 70–74 fin rays; and no spines in any of the fins. These differences have led to its being assigned to its own family.[1]

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References
  1. Britz, Ralf; Kakkassery, Francy & Raghavan, Rajeev (6 April 2014). "Osteology of Kryptoglanis shajii, a stygobitic catfish (Teleostei: Siluriformes) from Peninsular India with a diagnosis of the new family Kryptoglanidae" (PDF). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters. 24 (3): 193–207.
  2. Vincent, Moncey & Thomas, John (April 2011). "Kryptoglanis shajii, an enigmatic subterranean-spring catfish (Siluriformes, Incertae sedis) from Kerala, India". Ichthyological Research. 58 (2): 161–165. doi:10.1007/s10228-011-0206-6.
  3. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2014). "Kryptoglanis shajii" in FishBase. February 2014 version.
  4. Binoy; Roshan & Rakesh (2012). "Occurrence of Kryptoglanis shajii, an enigmatic subterranean-spring catfish (Siluriformes, Incertae sedis) in the channels of paddy fields". Current Science. 102 (2): 161.
  5. Babu, K.K.S. (2012). "Horaglanis abdulkalami, a new hypogean blind catfish (Siluriformes: Clariidae) from Kerala, India". Samagra CRIKSC Journal. 8: 51–56.


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