Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cypriniformes (Carps) >
Cyprinidae (Minnows or carps) > Smiliogastrinae
Etymology: Puntius: Lantin, punctum = point, the point of the sword (Ref. 45335); nelsoni: Named for Dr. Nelson P. Abraham, Associate Professor, St. Thomas College, Kozhencherry, Kerala..
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic; depth range 1 - 10 m (Ref. 104747). Tropical
Asia: India.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 9.1 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 104747)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
This species is distinguished from its close congeners by the following set of characters: maxillaries are feeble, short and never reach orbit, the nostrils inserted in the middle of orbit and snout tip, head deeper (89.3- 96.2 % HL), mouth gape wider (29.2- 31.0 % HL) and snout shorter (22.7- 28.8 % HL); body and fins are yellowish; a narrow light bluish green mark on summit of occiput; outer to operculum with numerous fine black dots present in the form of a thin band which of both sides join together at occiput; differs from P. dorsalis, P. sophore and P. stigma in lacking (vs. presence) any color spot on the base of dorsal fin; differs further from P. dorsalis, P. sophore, P. parrah, P. viridis and P. chola in having a wider head; differs from P. madhusoodani in having 5½ (vs. 4½) scales between lateral line and dorsal fin; differs from P. mahecola in having 25- 26 lateral line scales (vs. 22) and 3½ scales (vs. 2½) between lateral line and ventral fin (Ref. 104747).
This species occurs in Kallumkal, a site of merging of Pamba River with Manimala River. This part of the river is blanketed by mud dominant sediments, the sand occurs as discrete patches within the mud dominant deposits. The depth and width of the channel at Kallumkal ranges from 1 to 10 and 30 to 85 m, respectively; the reach has a bank height of 1 to 2 m from the general water
level. Riparian vegetation is moderate; major flora includes Bambusa bambos, B. vulgaris, Hibiscus tiliaceus and Ochreinauclea missionis; and Cynodon dactylon and
Cymbopogon flexuosus are major grass species in this area. Some fishes co-occurring with this species in the region are: Rasbora dandia, Osteobrama bakeri, Amblypharyngodon microlepis, Dawkinsia filamentosus, Haludaria fasciatus, Puntius parrah, P. viridis, Pethia ticto, Gonoproktopterus kurali, Catla catla, Labeo rohita, Labeo dussumieri, Cirrhina mrigala, Horabagrus brachysoma, and Wallago attu (Ref. 104747).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae
Plamoottil, M., 2014. Puntius nelsoni, Systomus chryseus and S. rufus (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae), three new fish species from Kerala, India. Int'l J of Fauna and Biological Stud. 1(6):135-145. (Ref. 104747)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01230 (0.00544 - 0.02785), b=3.00 (2.83 - 3.17), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 2.6 ±0.1 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
