Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 September 2023 | 15(9): 23920–23924
ISSN 0974-7907
(Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8496.15.9.23920-23924
#8496 | Received 29
April 2023 | Final received 25 July 2023 | Finally accepted 02 September 2023
New distribution record of fish Clupisoma garua
(Hamilton, 1822) (Siluriformes: Ailiidae)
from the Sarpang District in southern central part of
Bhutan
Sangay Dorji
1 & Jigme Tenzin 2
1 Southern Wildlife Rescue and
Rehabilitation Centre, Divisional Forest Office, Sarpang,
Department of Forests & Park Services, Ministry of Energy & Natural
Resources, 31002, Bhutan.
2 Research and Information Unit,
Divisional Forest Office, Sarpang, Department of
Forests & Park Services, Ministry of Energy & Natural Resources, 31002,
Bhutan.
1 sangaydorji73@gmail.com, 2 jigmetenzin16@gmail.com
(corresponding author)
Editor: J.A. Johnson, Wildlife Institute of India,
Dehradun, India. Date of publication:
26 September 2023 (online & print)
Citation: Dorji, S., & J. Tenzin (2023). New distribution
record of fish Clupisoma garua
(Hamilton, 1822) (Siluriformes: Ailiidae)
from the Sarpang District in southern central part of
Bhutan. Journal
of Threatened Taxa 15(9): 23920–23924. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8496.15.9.23920-23924
Copyright: © Dorji & Tenzin 2023. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and
distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the
author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: None.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgements: The author would like to
acknowledge Mr. Lobzang Dorji,
Director, Department of Forests and Park Services and Mr. Phub Dhendup, Chief Forestry Officer, Divisional Forest Office, Sarpang for their support and encouragement. Likewise, we
also owed our indebtness to Prof.
Dhan Bahadur Gurung, College of Natural Resources
(CNR), University of Bhutan (RUB) for confirming the species and Mr. Subha, Fisher man, for his support during the survey.
Clupisoma garua (Hamilton, 1822) falls under
catfish group, which is widely known by different names as Neria
(Assam in India), Ghaura (Bangladesh), Baikha/Jalkapoor (Nepal) (Wang et
al. 2016). It belongs to the Ailiidae family
under Siluriformes order and it is widely distributed
across the Indian rivers and reservoirs. Globally, Ailiidae familiey is native to Africa and Asia which comprises of 66
species that belongs to 14 genera. However, nearly half of the species (32
species) are known from Asian countries that comprises of five genera including
Clupisoma, Ailia,
Horabagrus, Laides,
and Pseudeutropius (Wang et al. 2016).
Among them, the Clupisoma genus has five
species of which four are reported from the Indian region: garua, bastari, naziri, and montana
(Hora 1937). Globally, C. garua is distributed
around the Ganga River system in India and Nepal, Ganga-Brahmaputra River
system in Bangladesh and Indus River system in Pakistan (Bhokta
& Solanki 2020). In case of India, C. garua
is widely distributed in Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Assam
(Brahmaputra and Barak drainage) (Bhokta &
Solanki 2020). However, this species is threatened in some localities
such as southwestern Bengal due to overfishing (Verma
et al. 2014 ) and decline from natural water bodies
(Patra et al. 2005; Mishra et al. 2009). Meanwhile, the recent record of C. garua from Ayechu River had
set new distribution record from the Bhutan. As per the IUCN Red List, the
species is categorized under ‘Least Concern’ (LC) IUCN Red List (2020). However, both CAMP (Molur
& Walker 1998) and CAFF (2006) had declared it as Vulnerable (VU), due to
the reduction of populations in their natural habitats; while, in Bangladesh,
the species is recently kept under Critically Endangered (Hanif et al. 2015)
due to restricted geographical distribution fueled by the increasing
anthropogenic and natural hazards (Siddik et al.
2017).
Clupisoma garua is commercially important
freshwater fish that has a potential species for aquaculture system (Saraswat
et al. 2014). The studies of Bhuiyan (1964) and Memon
et al. (2010) also reported that C. garua is
mostly consumed by various group of people including the marginalized people
due to high level of protein (18.40%) and fat (5.2%) content, followed by most
abundant in some of the river system (Galib et al.
2009). Besides these, the species also has ornamental values that promotes
livelihood of the coastal communities (Gupta et al. 2016).
Mouchhu basin in Gelephu
is located between 26.923–26.847°N & 90.506-–90.504°E that falls under Sarpang District in the southern central part of Bhutan
(Figure 1). Mouchu basin drains from the Black
Mountain which is located at the central part of Bhutan that flows through Gelephu and exit towards India, which finally confluences
with Brahmaputra River. In the case of Ayechu
(26.875°N, 90.501°E), which is the diverted river of Mouchhu
basin whereby C. garua was opportunistically
recorded for the first time from this river in September 2020 using cast net.
Since C. garua is a migratory species, it
could have migrated from India during monsoon season through Mouchu basin as it hasn’t been recorded during the past
survey. With this new addition, Bhutan now has 126 fish species (DoFPS 2020), out of which 28 fish species are found in Sarpang District that belongs to 11 families (Tenzin 2022).
Among 28 species, three species were categorized under Vulnerable, three
Endangered, two Near Threatened and rest are Least Concern as per Tenzin
(2022). The district falls within the convergences of three
ecologically-diverse protected areas of Bhutan which are connected with each
other by Biological Corridor No. 03 (Tenzin et al. 2021). Sarpang
shares the southern border with the northeastern state of Assam in India which
is further connected with the Royal Manas National
Park (RMNP) and Indian Manas National Park (MNP)
towards the east and Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary (PWS)
in the west (Tenzin et al. 2021). Floristically, this area comprises of
subtropical broad-leaved forests located at an elevation of 200 m and this area
receives the average precipitation of 3,500–5,500 mm (Tenzin et al. 2022). The
specimen was confirmed with professor D.B. Gurung from College of Natural
Resources, Punakha District, Bhutan through morphometric measurements using
digital caliper. The studies of Bhokta & Solanki
(2020) was also referred for confirmation. Meanwhile, the specimen was
collected and euthanized using 0.001 percent clove oil and treated in 10%
formalin for fixation as per Gurung et al. (2012) and Tenzin & Dhendup (2017) and it is currently deposited in the
Laboratory of the Southern Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (SWRRC) in
Sarpang District. Fin formula is the key feature been
used for identification and comparison as tabulated (Table 1).
The studies of Jayaram (1977) found that Clupisoma garua is
a herring-shaped fish that gradually tapers toward both ends and abdominal edge
between pelvic fins and vent (Image 1, 2 & 3). Talwar & Jhingran (1991) also substantiated that the adipose dorsal
fin is absent in adults, while, caudal fin is deeply forked with lower lobe
longer than upper with black edged dorsal, pectoral and caudal. On other hand,
the eyes are large with circular adipose eyelids and their mouth is wide and
terminal. Nonetheless, body is coloured with silvery
grey on the back which is lighter on the sides and abdomen with tinted grey
color fins and black edged dorsal, pectoral and caudal fin respectively (Talwar
& Jhingran 1991). The present C. garua specimen has a total length (TL) of 16.60 cm;
however, it can grow up to maximum TL of 60.90 cm (Bhokta
& Solanki 2020).
The species is mainly found in
lacustrine habitat in larger rivers and reservoirs with stagnant impoundments (Bhokta & Solanki 2020). The studies of Froese & Pauly (2013) and Saraswat et al. (2014) reported that C.
garua is potamodromous
that migrates within streams & rivers and travels a long distance (>100
km) for feeding as well as for seeking suitable breeding habitat in new water
bodies. Further, C. garua is a carnivorous
fish that exploits food resources in the surface guild and also feeds along the
margins of the river. Feeding intensity is higher during the September–October
months (Bhokta & Solanki 2020).
As per IUCN Red List (2020), the species is
categorized as ‘Least Concern’ (LC). However, it’s categorized under Critically
Endangered in Bangladesh IUCN Bangladesh (2000) and Vulnerable in India (Molur & Walker 1998; Lakra et
al. 2010). In several parts of the range country, the populations are reported
to be declining from the natural habitat (Bhokta
& Solanki 2020). Biswa et al. (2018) also
substantiated that over exploitation, habitat loss, human interference, climate
change, pollution, and siltations are the main causes
of the population decline, besides overfishing in range countries. However,
in-depth ecology and pertinent conservation threats from Bhutan is still unknown,
due to recent occurrences which may require separate ecological studies along
the Mouchu River in future.
Table 1. Morphometric measurement
of Fin formula of C. garua species and
compared with morphometric studies of Bhokta &
Solanki (2020).
|
|
Variables of fin formula (cm) |
Specimen of current study |
Specimen Fin formula of Bhokta & Solanki (2020) |
|
1 |
D |
1/7 |
1/6 |
|
2 |
A |
27 |
3/28 |
|
3 |
P |
1/11 |
1/11 |
|
4 |
V |
1/5 |
1/5 |
|
5 |
C |
18 |
17–20 |
|
6 |
Maximum length (TL) |
16.6 cm |
60.9–100 cm |
|
7 |
Colour of fin |
Yellowish-orange |
Yellowish-orange |
|
8 |
Presence of adipose fin |
No. |
No. |
D—Dorsal fin | A—Anal
fin | P—Pectoral fin | V—Ventral/Pelvic fin |
C—Caudal fin.
For
figure & images - - click here for full PDF
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