Humpback mahseer

The humpback mahseer is a large cyprinid that has a laterally compressed body which is just over a quarter as deep as it is long (standard length). with a steep dorsal profile forming an obvious hump which runs to the base of the dorsal fin and then slopes gently away to the caudal fin. It has a narrow, thick lipped mouth which is downward facing with two pairs of short barbels behind the mouth. One pair is rostral and one pair is maxillary and this is one of the features that distinguishes it from otherwise similar species. The dorsal fin origin is just in front of the origin of the pelvic fins The fish was originally described by Sykes as having these meristic features: ==Distribution==

The humpback mahseer is endemic to the Western Ghats in southern India. It has been recorded from the Krishna and possibly the Godavari in the states of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Kerala. It occurs in isolated pockets and the species' distribution is extremely fragmented and the total area of the species range is probably less than . ==Habitat and ecology==

The humpback mahseer shows a preference for the deeper stretches of clear, fast flowing large jungle streams and rivers in upland areas. It has an omnivorous diet and feeds on fish, crustaceans, molluscs, frogs, fruits and algae. ==Conservation==

The humpback mahseer is a sought after fish for anglers from the British colonial times to the present although the actual species involved was not determined as the original description of Barbus mussulah was not considered definitive. The species was redescribed as Hypselobarbus mussullah in the 1990s and 2016 and the species is the type specimen of the genus Hypselobarbus. When this species was classified under Tor mussulah, it was considered synonymous with the orange-finned mahseer (Tor remadevii), a highly endangered species endemic to the Kaveri basin, unlike the humpback which is endemic to the Krishna basin. When the humpback was reclassified to Hypselobarbus, the orange-finned mahseer was split from it for this reason. ==References==