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Status of alien fish species in the W estern G hats ( I ndia) as revealed from 2000–2004 surveys and literature analyses
Author(s) -
Radhakrishnan K. V.,
Kurup B. M.,
Murphy B. R.,
Xie S.G.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of applied ichthyology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.392
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1439-0426
pISSN - 0175-8659
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0426.2012.02029.x
Subject(s) - alien , biology , fishery , habitat , oreochromis mossambicus , ecology , introduced species , tilapia , freshwater fish , poeciliidae , cyprinidae , alien species , fish <actinopterygii> , population , demography , sociology , census
Summary The objective of this study was to provide an inventory on alien fish species based on literature analysis and sampling surveys over 4 years, covering 465 locations of 25 river systems in W estern G hats, I ndia. Thirty‐two species of seven orders and 10 families have so far been recorded in the published literature as alien fishes in the W estern G hats. Cyprinidae encompassed the largest number of species with 14 members, followed by Poeciliidae with four and Channidae with three members. Nineteen alien fish species were delineated during the fish inventory surveys, of which the freshwater garfish X enentodon cancila , snakehead murrel C hanna striata and Mozambique tilapia O reochromis mossambicus far exceeded other species in the number of river systems (23, 20 and 15 respectively) and locations (29, 26 and 24 respectively) where the species were encountered. Pool and reservoir habitats exhibited the highest distribution of alien fishes. O reochromis mossambicus (pool, run, riffle and reservoir) and P oecilia reticulata (pool, run, cascade and reservoir) were found in the highest number of habitats. The results demonstrate that alien fishes have extensively colonized the river systems in the W estern G hats. A comprehensive risk assessment to ascertain the potential impacts of the alien fishes is very necessary to formulate appropriate management plans for control of alien fish invasions and conserve native fishes in the W estern G hats.