ON THE OCCURRENCE OF TWO BALITORID FISHES OF THE GENUS SCHISTURA McCLELLAND FROM SIMILIPAL BIOSPHERE RESERVE , ORISSA

The Similipal Biosphere Reserve located in the North-East part of Orissa (Dist. Mayurbhanj) . is famous for its undulating terrain with diverse genetic resources (Patra and Triphaty, 1997). The biogeo~raphical conditions provide a high potential habitat for the variety of fish fauna inhabiting the locality. Previous studies pertaining to fish fauna of Similipal Biosphere Reserve (Anon, 1999) records 31 species only, of which the family Balitoridae (Order-Cypriniformes) is represented by an unidentified species of the genus Nemacheilus Bleeker, 1863. Ramakrishna et al. (2006) also included only one Balitorid fish as Nemacheilus species, with indication of it being a new distributional record. Incidentally, two species of fishes were collected during the study of invertebrate faunal groups in the Biosphere Reserve. On identification these two species turned out to belong to the genus Schistura McCelland, 1839, hitherto not reported. Its report earlier as Nemacheilus sp. is due to the fact that in earlier literature the genus Schistura was considered as a subgenus under Nemacheilus. The identified specimens were deposited with EBS, :lSI, Berhampur (presently at Gopalpur-on-Sea, Orissa). The taxonomic accounts of these two species are given here to record their occurrence from this Biosphere Reserve and as well as from Orissa state.


INTRODUCTION
The Similipal Biosphere Reserve located in the North-East part of Orissa (Dist. Mayurbhanj) . is famous for its undulating terrain with diverse genetic resources (Patra and Triphaty, 1997).
The biogeo~raphical conditions provide a high potential habitat for the variety of fish fauna inhabiting the locality.Previous studies pertaining to fish fauna of Similipal Biosphere Reserve (Anon, 1999) records 31 species only, of which the family Balitoridae (Order-Cypriniformes) is represented by an unidentified species of the genus Nemacheilus Bleeker, 1863.Ramakrishna et al. (2006) also included only one Balitorid fish as Nemacheilus species, with indication of it being a new distributional record.Incidentally, two species of fishes were collected during the study of invertebrate faunal groups in the Biosphere Reserve.On identification these two species turned out to belong to the genus Schistura McCelland, 1839, hitherto not reported.Its report earlier as Nemacheilus sp. is due to the fact that in earlier literature the genus Schistura was considered as a subgenus under Nemacheilus.The identified specimens were deposited with EBS, :lSI, Berhampur (presently at Gopalpur-on-Sea, Orissa).The taxonomic accounts of these two species are given here to record their occurrence from this Biosphere Reserve and as well as from Orissa state.
Diagnostic features: D iii, 8; A ii, 5; P i, 10; V i, 6, C 18. Body depth 6.6 to 6.8, head length 5.0 to 5.4 in total length (5.5 to 5.6 and 4.1 to 4.6 in standard length).Body of uniform depth, dorsal profile slightly arched while the ventral profile is almost straight and horizontal.Head almost as broad as high at occiput.Snout somewhat rounded, shorter than postorbital distance.Eyes small, not visible from ventral surface.Mouth semicircular, lips fleshy, lower lip weakly furrowed.Nostrils close to each other.Three pairs of barbels are well developed, thread like almost as long as eye diameter.Lateral line incomplete, ending below middle of dorsal fin.Dorsal tin small, almost as high as head length; edge of dorsal fin straight; origin of dorsal fin equidistant between tip of snout and caudal fin base.Pelvic fin origin opposite that of dorsal fin; its length shorter than pectoral fin, almost reaching anal opening.Pectoral fin shorter than head.Caudal fin slightly shorter than head, deeply emarginate, with rounded lobes.Body marked with 10-] 2 broad vertical bands with an equal number of narrow pale interspaces.A black band at caudal base, a blackish spot at base of the dorsal tin origin.Dorsal and caudal tins with two rows of well-marked spots, other fins without spots.
Rerllarks : The generic allocation of this species is in parlance with current nonlenclature and the validity of this species is in accordance with Banarescu and Nalbant (1995).Although Menon (1987), Talwar and lhingran (1991) and layaram (1999) placed this as a sub-species of Schistura denisoni, the original combination of Hora (1935) is considered here as valid.The lateral line in S. denisoni ends before dorsal fin origin, while that extends to below middle of the dorsal fin in S. dayi.
The type locality, "Chhotanagapur Plateau" is geographically in continuation with the Similipal forest range and hence, its distribution in Similipal Biosphere Reserve is well in expected line.Dutta et al. (1993) reported S. denisoni Day, a species well distributed in peninsular India, from Orissa.That probably refers to the species S. dayi, as S. denisoni is unlikely to occur in this part.Further collection and study of Schistura species from Orissa may reveal the distributional boundaries of these two species and probably add more number of species to the icthyofauna of Orissa.

Schistura scaturigina (McClelland)
1839.Cobitis (Schisturaj scatllrigina McClelland,Asiat. Res.,19 : 308,443,pI.Material exanlilled : 1 ex., 25 mm in total length, Locality -Chahala, Similipal Biosphere Reserve, Collected by -P.G.S. Sethy, during April, 2004. Diagnostic features: D iii, 8; A i, 5; P i, 9; V i, 7, C 18. Body depth about 8.0.head length 5.0 in total length (6.5 and 4.0 in standard length).A small elongate species with both dorsal and ventral profile almost horizontal.Head slightly broader than high at occiput, long narrow and pointed anteriorly.Snout somewhat equal to postorbital distance.Eyes small, dorsa-laterally in position, not visible from ventral surface.Mouth semicircular; lips moderately fleshy, poorly furrowed.Barbels well developed; inner rostral shorter, outer rostral and maxillary subequal; outer rostral extending to margin of eye; maxillary extended to the posterior border of eye.Lateral line cOlnplete.Dorsal fin small, its origin equidistant between tip of snout and caudal base.Origin of pelvic fin slightly behind that of dorsal fin.Pelvic fin longer than head and shorter than pectoral fin.Pelvic fin not reaching anal opening.Caudal tin longer than head, deeply forked, lobes pointed.
Body grayish above, olivaceous below with 9 to 12 dark vertical bands broader dorsally, naITowing down on sides and not extending to ventral surface.A narrow black bar on base of the caudal fin with one or two series of dots forming a V-shaped pattern on the fin itself.A black spot at base of the anterior dorsal ray.
Distribution : Darjeeling and Assam In eastern Himalayas, India; Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan.
Renlarks : The generic allocation is in accordance with current nomenclature (Banarescu and  Nalbant, 1995).Gunther (1868) recorded this species from Bengal.Day (1869) described it from Cossye river at Midinapur as N. muga/1, and later Day (1889) also reported this from Orissa as N. zonatus (McClelland), both considered as synonyms of S. scaturigina by Menon (1987).The above synonymy certainly indicates the availability of S. scaturigina in Southern Bengal and Orissa.The present report confirms its occurrence in Northern Orissa close to Southern Bengal differing from the distributional range "eastern sub-Himalayas" as stated in ,the Talwar and Jhingran (1991) and Menon (1987).These small hill stream fishes from Orissa are poorly studied and so, might have escaped the eyes of earlier scientists.