Descriptive Osteology of Catfish, Sperata aorides (Jerdon, 1849) of the Bagridae Family from Cauvery River Basin, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

The descriptive and comparative osteological analysis was conducted on Bagridae catfish S. aorides based on the specimens collected from the Cauvery River Basin in Tamil Nadu. S. aorides with a supraoccipital spine that is equal to or longer than the inter-neural shield with 26 pre-caudal vertebrae and has the first dorsal fin pterygiophores that are externally visible and united anteriorly rather than being distinct. The supra-occipital spine had the same width from base to tip with a broader base. The groves in the skull serve as the primary osteological indicator and serve as the morphological marker. The neuron cranium, upper and lower jaws, pectoral and pelvic girdles, and the vertebral column were among the bones whose structures were described based on the findings.