Badis britzi Dahanukar, Kumkar, Katwate & Raghavan, 2015

Family:  Badidae (Chameleonfishes)
Max. size:  3.27 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  benthopelagic; freshwater
Distribution:  Asia: Nagodi tributary of the west-flowing Sharavati River in Karnataka, India.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 17-17; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-9; Anal spines: 3-3; Anal soft rays: 7-7; Vertebrae: 28-28. Badis britzi can be diagnosed from all congeners by its color pattern. It differs from all members of the B. ruber group (that includes B. ruber, B. khwae and B. siamensis) by absence of cleithral and caudal-peduncular blotches, from all members of the B. assamensis group (that includes B. assamensis and B. blosyrus) by absence of an opercular blotch and of two parallel rows of dark blotches and alternating dark and light stripes along the body, from all members of the B. corycaeus group (that includes B. corycaeus, B pyema and B. kyar) by the absence of an ocellus on the caudal-fin base, from all members of the extended B. badis group (that includes B. badis, B. chittagongis, B. ferrarisi, B. dibruensis, B. tuivaiei and B. kanabos) by the absence of a cleithral blotch, and from B. singenensis by the absence of a conspicuous black blotch posterodorsally on the opercle, three distinct dark blotches on dorsal fin base and another distinct black blotch on the base of anal fin. It can be further distinguished by having a slender body (body depth less than 30% SL), which distinguishes it from all other congeners except B. pyema and B. kyar. Its color pattern is composed of 11 dark, clearly-defined bars, most closely resembles that of B. kyar and B. juergenschmidti, from which it is distinguished by a greater head length (32.3-35.0% SL vs. 26.8-31.4% in B. kyar and 28.8-29.6% in B. juergenschmidti), a longer snout (6.8-8.3% SL vs. 5.0-6.4% in B. kyar) and shorter dorsal-fin base (54.6-56.6% SL vs. 62.3-63.7% in B. juergenschmidti) (Ref. 101085).
Biology:  Inhabits slow-moving clear stream with riparian cover and substrate composed mainly of gravel and pebbles. Found associated with marginal vegetation and submerged roots. Occurs syntopically with other fishes including Barilius sp., Devario malabaricus, Danio rerio, Schistura nagodiensis, Haludaria fasciata, Dawkinsia arulius, Pethia sp., Channa gachua and Mastacembelus armatus (Ref. 101085).
IUCN Red List Status: Data deficient (DD); Date assessed: 22 June 2020 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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