Freshwater fish fauna of Hiranyakeshi River, the northern Western Ghats, India

Abstract

The freshwater fish fauna of Hiranyakeshi River, a tributary off the Krishna River System, originating in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, was studied for a period of three years from 2013–2016. We reported 57 specfies belonging to seven orders, 17 famillies and 42 genera. Cyprinfiformes was the most specfies rich order followed by Siluriformes, while Cyprinidae was the most predominant familly. At least 21 freshwater fish specfies found in Hiranyakeshi River are endemic to river systems originating from the Western Ghats, while nine specfies are enemic to the Krishna River system. The true diversity off freshwater fishes in this region, however, is still obscure because of lack off detafiled taxonomic studies in this region. Of the total specfies, at least 11 are in the threatened and near threatened categories of the IUCN Red List and Hiranyakeshi River holds a good populafion of most of these specfies. The fish fauna in this region, however, is threatened by several stressors fincluding finvasive fishing pracices, water fimpediment due to upcomfing dams, finvasive fintroduced specfies and water pollution due to agrticuitural runoffs and industrial effluents