Mahseers are large-scaled carp of the family Cyprinidae, prized game fish found in India and southern Asia generally. Genera Abramis Aristichthys Barbodes Carassius Cirrhinus Ctenopharyngodon Cyprinus Epalzeorhynchos Henicorhynchus Hypophthalmichthys Labeo Mylopharyngodon and others Carp is a common name for various freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fishes that dominates the fish faunas of Eurasia and North America. ... In biological classification, family (Latin: familia, plural familiae) is 1) a rank or 2) a taxon in that rank. ... Genera (many, see text) The family Cyprinidae, named after the Greek word for goldfish, consists of the carps and minnows. ... A Game fish is a fish that is pursued for sport, regardless of whether the fisherman ultimately eats the fish. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ...

They were originally described by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton in 1822, and first mentioned as an angling challenge by the Oriental Sporting Magazine in 1833, soon becoming a favorite quarry of British anglers living in India. The golden mahseer has been known to reach 2.75 m (9 ft) in length and 54 kg (118 lb) in weight, although specimens of this size are rarely seen nowadays. Dr Francis Buchanan, later known as Francis Hamilton but often referred to as Francis Buchanan-Hamilton (February 15, 1762 - June 15, 1829) was a Scottish physician who made significant contributions as a geographer zoologist and botanist while living in India. ... 1822 (MDCCCXXII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Angling is a method of fishing, specifically the practice of catching fish by means of an angle (hook). ... Year 1833 (MDCCCXXXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Mahseers inhabit both rivers and lakes, ascending to rapid streams with rocky bottoms for breeding. Like other types of carp, they are omnivorous, eating not only algae, crustaceans, insects, frogs, and other fish, but also fruit that falls from trees overhead. Genera Abramis Aristichthys Barbodes Carassius Cirrhinus Ctenopharyngodon Cyprinus Epalzeorhynchos Henicorhynchus Hypophthalmichthys Labeo Mylopharyngodon and others Carp is a common name for various freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fishes that dominates the fish faunas of Eurasia and North America. ... A seaweed (Laurencia) up close: the branches are multicellular and only about 1 mm thick. ... Classes & Subclasses Branchiopoda Phyllopoda Sarsostraca Remipedia Cephalocarida Maxillopoda Thecostraca Tantulocarida Branchiura Pentastomida Mystacocarida Copepoda Ostracoda Myodocopa Podocopa Malacostraca Phyllocarida Hoplocarida Eumalacostraca The nauplius larva of a dendrobranchiate Porcellio scaber, the common rough woodlouse, a terrestrial crustacean Pollicipes polymerus, the gooseneck barnacle Glyphea pseudastacus, a fossil glypheoid The crustaceans (Crustacea) are... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Distribution of frogs (in black) Suborders Archaeobatrachia Mesobatrachia Neobatrachia - List of Anuran families The frogness babe is an amphibian in the order Anura (meaning tail-less from Greek an-, without + oura, tail), formerly referred to as Salientia (Latin saltare, to jump). ... For other uses, see Fruit (disambiguation). ...

In addition to being caught for sport, mahseer are also part of commercial fishing.

Etymology

The Hindi name of mahāsir, mahāser, mahāsaulā is used for a number of fishes of the group. British anglers in India called it the Indian salmon. the name mahseer is said to be derived from the Sanskrit some says that its derived from indo persian as persian it means "tiger of waters", it also means big-head, or mahā-śalka, large-scaled. the scales are so large that Buchanan mentions that playing cards were made from them at Dacca. Mr. H. S. Thomas suggests mahā-āsya, great mouth.^[1]

Species

• Genus Tor:
  • Red-finned mahseer, short-gilled mahseer or deep-bodied mahseer, Tor tor (Hamilton)
  • Golden mahseer, yellow-finned mahseer or common Himalayan mahseer, Tor putitora (Hamilton)
  • Copper mahseer, Tor mosal (Hamilton)
  • Jungha, Tor progeneius (McClelland)
  • Deccan mahseer, Tor khudree (Sykes)
  • High-backed mahseer, hump-backed mahseer or southern mahseer, Tor mussullah (Sykes)
  • Malabar mahseer, Tor malabaricus (Silas)
  • Thai mahseer, Tor tambroides (Bleeker)
  • Chinese mahseer, Tor sinensis (Wu)
  • Malaysian mahseer, Tor douronensis (Valenciennes)
  • Pakistani mahseer, Tor zhobensis (Mirza)
  • Barakae mahseer, Tor barakae (Arunkumar)
  • Kerala mahseer, Tor remadevi (new species reported in NATP, NBFGR India)

• Genus Neolissochilus old name was Acrossocheilus:
  • Chocolate mahseer or Brown mahseer, Neolissochilus hexagonolepsis

Genera Tor Acrossocheilus The mahseer is a large-scaled carp, family Cyprinidae, a prized game fish found in India and southern Asia generally. ... Binomial name (Sykes, 1839) Synonyms Barbus tor The Deccan Mahseer Tor khudree is a large freshwater game fish of the Carp family found in fast flowing rivers of India. ... Binomial name (Sykes, 1839) Synonyms Barbus tor The Deccan Mahseer Tor khudree is a large freshwater game fish of the Carp family found in fast flowing rivers of India. ... Neolissochilus is a genus of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family. ... Genera Tor Acrossocheilus The mahseer is a large-scaled carp, family Cyprinidae, a prized game fish found in India and southern Asia generally. ...

Notes

1. ^ Yule, Henry, Sir. Hobson-Jobson: A glossary of colloquial Anglo-Indian words and phrases, and of kindred terms, etymological, historical, geographical and discursive. New ed. edited by William Crooke, B.A. London: J. Murray, 1903.

References

• Cordington, K. De. B., "Notes on Indian Mahseer" (1939, Journal of Bombay Natural History Society. 46, 336-334)
• Skene Dhu, "The angler in India or the Mighty Mahseer." (1923, reprinted Natraj Publishers 1993)
• Prakash Nautiyal, ed., "Mahseer: The Game Fish (Natural History, Status and Conservation Practices in India and Nepal)" (Rachna, 1994)
• Silas, E. G.; Gopalakrishnan, A.; John, L and Shaji, C. P., "Genetic identity of Tor malabaricus (Jerdon) (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) as revealed by RAPD markers" (2005, Indian journal of fish. 52(2): 125-140)
• Rainboth, W. J., "Neolissochilus, a new group of South Asia Cyprinid fishes" (1985, Beaufortia. 35(3), 25-35)
• Mirza, M. R. & Javed, M. N., "A note on Mahseer of Pakistan with the description of Naziritor, a new subgenus (Pisces: Cyprinidae)" (1985, Pakistan Journal of Zoology. 17, 225-227)
• Arunkumar and Ch. Basudha, "Tor barakae, a new species of mahseer fish (Cyprinidae: Cyprininae) from Manipur, India." (2003, aquacult. 4(2), 271-276)
• Vindhya Mohindra, Praveen Khare, K. K. Lal, P. Punia, R. K. Singh, W. S. Lakra, "Molecular discrimination of five Mahseer species from Indian peninsula using RAPD analysis" (2007, Acta Zoologica Sinica. 53(4): current volume)