Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cypriniformes (Carps) >
Nemacheilidae (Brook loaches)
Etymology: Schistura: Greek, schizein = to divide + Greek, oura = tail; an allusion to forked caudal fins (Ref. 45335); scripta: Name from Latin 'scripta' meaning ‘written words’, referring to the pattern of bars on the side of the body of this species resembling alphabetical characters.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical
Asia: Sri Lanka.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 4.3 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 127984)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
This species is distinguished from its congeners from Sri Lankan and peninsular India by the following characters: lateral line incomplete with 53-76 pores, ending beneath the dorsal-fin base or slightly beyond; post-dorsal bars 7-13; D 7½ branched rays; no axillary pelvic lobe; absence of a suborbital flap (Ref. 127984).
Body shape (shape guide): eel-like; Cross section: oval.
This species is known only from its type locality, a stream about 3-4 m wide, flowing through the palm-oil plantations of Nakiyadeniya Estate in an unprotected area of the Gin River basin, elevation ca. 80 m above sea level and where the substrate consists of small boulders and pebbles. It prefers the faster-flowing regions of the stream and was observed with Garra ceylonensis, Rasbora dandia, Belontia signata. It appears to be locally abundant when sampled during a relatively dry period in December 2017 and about 100 adults, including several gravid females, were observed in a stretch of approximately 50 m along the length of the stream. Schistura notostigma was recorded in similar habitats sampled in Udugama about 8 km from the type locality of S. scripta and as presently understood, these two species do not co-occur (Ref. 127984).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Sudasinghe, H., 2018. A new species of Schistura (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae) from the south-western lowlands of Sri Lanka. Zootaxa 4422(4):478-492. (Ref. 127984)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
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