On the record of Ichthyofaunal diversity from Narayan Sarovar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kachchh, Gujarat
Author
Banyal, Harinder Singh
Author
Kumar, Sanjeev
text
Records of the Zoological Survey of India
2020
120
2
147
152
journal article
10.26515/rzsi/v120/i2/2020/143355
2581-8686
13185536
4.
Oreochromis mossambicus
(Peters, 1852)
Tilapia
1851.
Chromis (Tilapia) mossambicus
Peters,
Ontab. Akad. Wiss.
,
Berlin:
681.
2018.
Oreochromis mossambicus
:
Fricke
et al., Fish Taxa
,
3
(1): 251.
Material examined
: V/3820, 05 ex., Ghodatad dam, Narayan Sarovar WLS, coll. S. Kumar & H. S. Banyal;
07.ix.2018
.
Distinguishing characters
: D XV-XVI 10-12; A III 10- 11; P 14-15; V I 5. Snout extended; temple with reasonably big scales, beginning with 2 scales amongst the eyes straggled by 9 scales up to the dorsal fin. Grown up males develop a blunted duckbill-like snout due to expanded jaws, regularly activating the upper profile tobecome bowl-shaped.
Distribution
: Exotic fish introduced in
India
for aquaculture including biological control of nuisance plants and animals.
Remarks
: Flourishes in reservoirs, rivers, creeks, drains and tidal creeks etc.; usually over mud bases, commonly in well-vegetated areas. Carnivorous in nature and prey on small fishes and sometimes cannibalize their own young.
During present investigation ichthyofaunal study was carried out and reported the occurrence of only 4 species of fishes belonging to 3 orders, 4 families from the wetlands of Narayan Sarovar Wildlife Sanctuary of
Gujarat state
. The order
Cyprinodontiformes
represented by 2 species under 2 genera and 2 families followed by
Cichliformes
and
Siluriformes
with 1 species each. This is the first attempt to document fish diversity of Narayan Sarovar Wildlife Sanctuary in
Gujarat state
.
Dispar Top
minnow [
Aphanius dispar
(Ruppell, 1829)
], Mosquito fish [
Gambusia affinis
(Baird & Girard, 1853)
], Tilapia [
Oreochromis mossambicus
(Peters, 1852)
] and Long-whiskered Catfish [
Mystus gulio
(Hamilton, 1822)
] were the only species recorded from the study area. These fishes can tolerate salinity and were probably introduced in the wetlands of the sanctuary from the creeks of Mitiyativali, Kapurasi and Kali riverine systems, which are ephemeral in nature ultimately drain into Arabian Sea near