Catla catla
Catla
A fast-growing Indian major carp widely farmed across South Asia for its large head and flavour.
About the Species
Catla (Catla catla, also historically Labeo catla) is a freshwater fish of the carp family Cyprinidae, native to rivers and lakes of northern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. It is one of the three "Indian major carps" and one of the most important species in South Asian aquaculture.
Catla has a large, prominent head with a wide upturned mouth and a thick lower lip — adaptations for surface and mid-water filter feeding on plankton. The body is deep and greyish on the back with silvery flanks and large scales. It grows quickly, commonly reaching 1–2 m and 18–45 kg in large waters, and is usually reared in polyculture ponds alongside rohu and mrigal.
Note for editors: verify taxonomy and figures against current literature before publication — some authorities place this species in the genus Labeo.
Classification
Characteristics
01Appearance
A deep-bodied, laterally compressed fish with an enormous head (about one third of body length), a wide terminal-upturned mouth, thick lips and large cycloid scales. The dorsal profile is strongly arched.
02Coloration
Bluish-grey to dark grey on the back, silvery on the flanks, and whitish on the belly. Fins are dusky to dark grey.
03Size
Commonly 60–100 cm and 8–20 kg in culture ponds; exceptional wild specimens may exceed 1.8 m and 45 kg. Growth is rapid — marketable size in about one year under good management.
04Habitat
Rivers, reservoirs, lakes, canals and ponds of the Indian subcontinent. A surface- and column-dwelling (pelagic) species that tolerates a wide range of freshwater conditions.
05Diet
A plankton feeder. Adults filter zooplankton and phytoplankton with their fine gill rakers; larvae initially feed on rotifers and small crustaceans.
06Reproduction
Matures at 3–5 years. A seasonal surface spawner: breeding is induced by monsoon flooding in rivers; in hatcheries, spawning is commonly induced with hormone injections (induced breeding). Fecundity is very high — often around one million eggs per kg body weight.
07Commercial Importance
One of the most important aquaculture species in India and Bangladesh, produced in polyculture with rohu (Labeo rohita) and mrigal (Cirrhinus mrigala). Prized as affordable, protein-rich food fish; also used in carp-based livelihood and nutrition programmes.
08Ecological Role
As a dominant plankton grazer, catla helps control plankton blooms and transfers energy from the planktonic base of the food web to larger predators and to humans.