Osteobrama cotio (Hamilton, 1822) is known ‘Cotio’ a tropical, benthopelagic, freshwater species under the family Cyprinidae. It is distributed in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Nepal in Asia, and its presence in Mayanmar is questionable. As per IUCN Red List Status, it is categorized as Least Concern (LC), but the species categorized as Endangered (EN) in Bangladesh. In India, O. cotio is distributed in Assam (Brahmaputra drainage), Bihar, Manipur (Barak-Brahmaputra drainage), Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and can grow to a maximum length of 15.0 cm. In the juvenile stages it is mainly fed on phytoplankton, and in growing and adult stages on zooplankton, insects, and detritus. The species is monsoon spawners and breeds during the month of May-July. Being a small indigenous fish, it provides nutritional supplements to a large section of economically backward populations. In this prelude, the present review is aimed to provide detailed information on O. cotio that might be useful to know the species, its potential importance, and suitable conservation measures that may be carried out accordingly.
Conservation status, Food and feeding habits, Freshwater species, Indigenous fish, Osteobrama cotio, Reproductive biology