Clown knifefish

Chitala chitala

Male stays by wood to repel intruders

Clown knifefish is a freshwater fish of Asia. The species occupies freshwater habitats. Records give a maximum length of 122 cm.

Class: Teleosts
Order: Bonytongues
Family: Notopteridae
Genus: Chitala
Maximum length: 122 cm
Water: Freshwater
Body shape: deep_bodied
Distribution: Asia: Indus, Ganges-Brahmaputra and Mahanadi river basins in India. No valid records from Irrawaddy, Salween or other river basins of Myanmar. Reports of Chitala chitala from Thailand and Indo-China were based on Chitala ornata and those from Malaysia and Indonesia on Chitala lopis .
Conservation status: NTNear Threatened

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