Nilgiri mystus
Hemibagrus punctatus
- Critically endangered
- Card rarity: Legendary
- Fish
Hemibagrus punctatus, or Nilgiri mystus, is a species of fish in the family Bagridae. It was first described by Jerdon in 1849. It is endemic to east-flowing rivers in the Western Ghats of India. Of these, the species is likely only found in the Kaveri River; records from the Krishna River may actually be of H. maydelli. However, one record from the west-flowing Bharatappuzha River has been tentatively assigned to this species. The last record of this species was in 1998, and it may have experienced a population decline of nearly 100%; thus, IUCN categorizes the species as critically endangered. It is threatened by habitat degradation by excess siltation, excess fishing, and dam construction.
Classification
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Order
- Siluriformes
- Family
- Bagridae
- Genus
- Hemibagrus