Fish Fauna of Asan River and Its Tributaries, Western Doon Valley, Dehradun (Uttarakhand), with Conservation Status of Species and Threats - Aquatic Ecosystem: Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation - page 248

Sexual Dimorphism: In male, a deep slitlike
groove in front of the lower edge of the eye below
the nostrils, turning round a small knob-like fl eshy
appendage of preorbital below the anterior 1/3rd
of the eye; upper surface of pectoral fi ns fi nely
tuberculated. Female lacks these modifi cations.

30. ' Nemacheilus ' corica (Hamilton, 1822)
Cobitis corica Hamilton, 1822. Fish. Ganges :
359, 395 (type locality: Kosi river).
Nemacheilus corica Husain, 2003 . Faun. Asan
Wetland, Wetland Ecosystem Series 5 : 23-26
(Asan reservoir, seepage nala, Asan River
below its barrage).

Maximum Length
11.0 cm.

English Name
Polka-Dotted Loach.

Distribution

Local Names
Gadera, Nauni.

Uttarakhand
Garhwal Division: Chamoli, Dehradun,
Haridwar, Pauri, Tehri and Uttarkashi districts;
Kumaon Division: Almora, Nainital, Pithoragarh
and Udham Singh Nagar districts. Corbett Tiger
Reserve and Rajaji National Park.

Localities Surveyed
Asan reservoir; seepage nala and Asan River
below its barrage.

Description
D. 2-4/8, P. 1/10, V. 1/7, A. 2-3/5, C. 17 (9/8).
Body cylindrical anteriorly, moderately com-
pressed posteriorly; head oval, granulated; bar-
bels covered with fi ne nodules; dorsal fi n origin
slightly ahead of the pelvics, 2nd branched ray of
pectoral produced, caudal peduncle narrow, cau-
dal fi n forked to halfway; scales on the predorsal
region of the ventral side absent, a few scales
before the pelvics, lateral line complete, ridged
anteriorly, grooved in the caudal region. Body
pale with 12-13 brownish oval blotches, a fi ne
black line below the lateral line in caudal area, a
broad band on the dorsal fi n nearer its base, two
V-shaped bands on the caudal fi n.
Sexual Dimorphism: In male, preorbital proj-
ects in the form of a club-shaped movable fl eshy
process directed postero-ventrally below the
anterior margin of the eye; upper surface of the
pectoral fi n covered with minute tubercles.
Female lacks these characters.

India
Northern India in Brahmaputra and Ganges;
Assam, Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Western
Ghats rivers.

Elsewhere
Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, Nepal,
Pakistan (Indus basin), Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Habitat and Ecology
Demersal inhabiting clear water, swift-fl owing
streams with rocky, pebbly and sandy bed. It is
omnivorous. It spawns with about 100-150 eggs.

Conservation Status
IUCN Red List, least concern.

Threats
In hilly areas, the habitat quality is declining as a
result of deforestation, leading to siltation.
Furthermore, drought has led to a loss of suitable
habitat.

Maximum Size
5.0 cm, 4.2 cm (standard length).

Remarks
Of no fi shery interest. Distinguished from its con-
geners by the absence of a suborbital fl ap in male,
the fl ap being replaced by a suborbital groove.
Genus: Nemacheilus van Hasselt, 1822.

Distribution

Uttarakhand
Garhwal Division: Dehradun, Haridwar, Pauri
and Tehri districts; Kumaon Division: Nainital