By Gulfam Ali

1. Assignment of Zoology
Topic: Rita Rita
Submitted To: Dr. Azhar Rafique
Submitted By: Muhammad Usman(16306)
Gulfam ali(16311)
Muhammad Arslan(16320)
Ali Haider(16359)
Class: BS (H) Zoology (E) 8TH
Semester
GCUF

2. Scientific Classification
Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Actinopterygii
Order : Siluriformes
Family : Bagridae
Genus : Rita
Species: R.rita

4. Rita rita
• R.rita is a commercially important catfish forming
a good fishery in major rivers of the Indo-
Gangetic plains.
• It is a well admired food fish as having good
taste and rich protein content.
• Recently it has also been considered as an
ornamental fish and has been documented to
have been exported as indigenous ornamental
fish from India.

5. Preferred Temperature range
• 18°C - 26°C
pH range:
• 6.5 - 8.0
Common name
• Rita or Ritha both in India and Bangladesh.
• In Pakistan common name of R.rita is ‘’Desi Khagga’’
Maximum length
• Maximum length of R.rita is 150 cm.

6. Habitat
 R.rita is a riverine fish; a bottom dweller which prefers
muddy or clear water.
 Basically it is a freshwater species.
 It can also survive in
• Low salinity conditions
• Low dissolved oxygen
• High turbidity
• Ood environment

7. • FOOD
• R. rita is an omnivorous catfish.
• The bulk of its diet consists of mollusks.
• In addition, it feeds on small fishes, crustaceans, insects, as
well as on decaying organic matter.

8. Distribution
R.rita has wide distribution in
• Pakistan
• Afghanistan
• Bangladesh
• Nepal
• Myanmar
• India

9. Cont…..

11. Breeding
• Male and female of R.rita can be identified observing
some sexual dimorphic characters.
• A muscular genital papilla which is present in male
becomes distinct and prominent during breeding period .
• Tip of the papilla becomes deep red in color during this
period because of numerous blood vessels.
• The genital aperture is introvert and slit like in male while
in female it is large extrovert and swollen.

12. Cont…..
• The eggs of R.rita reached rapidly in their embryonic and
larval stages. The fertilized eggs of R.rita are non-
adhesive.
• The diameter of the fertilized eggs ranged between 1.0
and 1.3 mm.
• First cleavage of eggs of Rita was observed within 25-30
min post-fertilization at the water temperature of 27-
28°C.
• Just 1-2 h before hatching, the embryo of R.rita showed
twisting movements inside the egg capsule.
• In the present study, hatching began after 22 h post-
fertilization and completed within 24 h at 27-29°C.

13. Conservation measure
Captive breeding is one among the noble
measures so far has been suggested by the
experts to support conservation of any fish
species and proper information on feeding
habitat and reproductive of that particular fish
species is needed to get success in captive
breeding.

14. Feeding habitat
• R.rita is carnivore in all stages of life.
• It is bottom feeder take mostly insects, molluscs, shrimps
etc.
• Bottom feeding adults are carnivore and feed on insects
and fishes. Their larvae feed on crustacean and
decaying organic matter.

15. Conservation measure
Captive breeding is one among the noble
measures so far has been suggested by the
experts to support conservation of any fish
species and proper information on feeding
habitat and reproductive of that particular fish
species is needed to get success in captive
breeding.

16. References
1. Chondar S.L., Biology of finfish and shellfish, SCSC Publishers, India, 514
(1999)
2. Rafique M. and Khan N.U.H., Distribution and status of significant freshwater
fishesof Pakistan, Rec. Zool. Surv. Pak., 21, 90-95 (2012)
3. Tripathi S.D., Present status of breeding and culture of catfishes in south
Asia. In: Legendre, M. and Proteau J.P. (Ed). The biology and culture of
catfishes, Aquat. Living Resour., 9, Hors Serie, 219-228 (1996)
4. Jafri A.K., Khawaja D.K. and Qasim S.Z., Studies on the biochemical
composition of some freshwater fishes. I Muscle, Fish. Technol., 1(2), 148-
157 (1964)
5. Lal M.S. and Dwivedi A.S., Studies on the fishery and biology of a freshwater
teleost, Rita rita. 1. Racial studies, Indian J. Zool., 9(2), 79-90 (1969)
6. Dubey G.P., Endangered, vulnerable and rare fishes of west 67 coast of India.
Threatened fishes of India, Proceedings of the National seminar on
endangered fishes of India held at National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources,

17. Allahabad, 77-95 (1994)