A CHECK LIST OF THE MARINE AND FRESHWATER FISHES OF VIETNAM

Abstract

The purpose of this check list is to bring together in one publication the names of all Vietnamese freshwater and marine fishes. I hope it will serve as a base for future ichthyological and general fisheries research in Vietnam. I also hope it will familiarize ichthyologists in other countries with the fauna of this area and promote exchanges of material between the Oceanographic Institute of Nhatrang and other scientific institutions. This work was begun in 1968 when I was advisor to the Oceanographic Institute of Nhatrang for the Agency for International Development. It covers both North and South Vietnam, the Paracel Islands and the island of Poulo Condore. It is a compilation of names from many publications and records dating back to 1878 and a correction of their synonomy. Also listed are a few species I collected on the coral reefs of Nhatrang Bay and which were not previously reported from Vietnam. The list totals 1458 species and subspecies. Those species present in the collection of the Oceanographic Institute are marked with an asterisk. In spite of the large number of species listed the fish fauna of Vietnam is still not well known. As recently as 1963 P. Fourmanoir discovered 306 marine species new to Vietnam, and his major source of material was the commercial catch of Nhatrang. We may get an idea of the number of species still unreported by comparing the 1458 known Vietnamese species with the approximately 2200 species known from the Philippines. Vietnam should not necessarily equal the Philippines in the richness of its fauna as the island coasts of the latter country probably contain a greater variety of marine habitats than exist in Vietnam. On the other hand, Vietnam boasts a richer freshwater fauna than does the Philippines. Approximately 300 freshwater species have been recorded from Vietnam and the freshwater fauna can be said to be fairly well known. But since very little collecting has been done at ocean depths greater than l 00 meters many new species should be present on the continental slopes.