| Tor barakae | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Cyprinidae |
| Genus: | Tor |
| Species: | T. barakae |
| Binomial name | |
| Tor barakae (Arunkumar & Basudha, 2003) | |
Tor barakae is a species of mahseer native to Manipur, India.
This mahseer was described as a distinct species due to taxonomic differences between it and the other mahseers of the trans-Himalayan region; Tor putitora , Tor tor and Tor mosal . In the description paper, [2] many of the taxonomic features used for comparison do not reference the original descriptions of those species, rather, the referenced data are from more recent studies by Indian ichthyologist Menon. However, compared to Hamilton's [3] original descriptions of the mahseers of trans-Himalaya, the meristic counts for the pectoral fin bear consideration. Tor barakae has 14 rays in this fin, whereas Tor putitora has 15, Tor tor has 18 and Tor mosal has 17.
So far, the little research conducted on this mahseer species has all been done in the Barak River, mostly in the Indian state of Manipur. Given that this is a trans-boundary river, shared between India and Bangladesh, it may be assumed that Tor barakae is a resident of both. Wider distributions within the Brahmaputra River basin are not yet ascertained.
In the Barak Bridge area where the initial studies were conducted, [2] this fish is called 'Nung nga'.
As all other mahseer species are omnivorous, it may be expected that Tor barakae is the same, with a diet that likely includes aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, fruit and vegetation, small amphibians and other fish. It would seem probable that adult fish access headwaters for spawning during high water conditions.
This species is currently assigned as Near Threatened by the IUCN. Given that the species is identified from the capture of only five specimens, and that little work has been done beyond the initial identification, the major constraining factor in any conservation strategy is the complete lack of understanding of the distribution and ecology of the species and how or if it interacts with other local mahseer species within the same habitat. With other mahseer species, the main threats are: loss of habitat due to urbanisation, encroachment on flood plains, dam building, sand extraction and pollution. Destructive fishing methods like dynamite, poisoning and electricity are in common use throughout South and Southeast Asia, and may be expected to be a major threat to the sustainability of populations.
There has been some work completed on the habitat suitability [4] and capabilities of the river system to support mahseers and other fishes . [5] Given that the Barak River is known to be very dynamic, [6] the plans to straighten and dredge the river for use as part of the national water highway system [7] must raise the level of threat to these fish.
Tor is a genus of freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Cyprinidae, the family which includes the carps, barbs and related fishes. The fishes in this genus, and some related genera, are commonly known as mahseers. These fishes are found in Asia.
Mahseer is the common name used for the genera Tor, Neolissochilus, Naziritor and Parator in the family Cyprinidae (carps). The name is, however, more often restricted to members of the genus Tor. The range of these fish is from Vietnam in the east and China in the north, through Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia, and across southern Asia including the countries of India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh within the Indian Peninsula, plus Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Afghanistan. They are commercially important game fish, as well as highly esteemed food fish. Mahseer fetch high market price, and are potential candidate species for aquaculture. Several of the larger species have suffered severe declines, and are now considered threatened due to pollution, habitat loss, overfishing and increasing concern about the impacts of unregulated release of artificially bred stock of a very limited number of species.
The Barak River or Barbakro flows 900 kilometres (560 mi) through the states of Manipur, Mizoram and Assam in India. It flows into Bangladesh where it bifurcates into the Surma river and the Kushiyara river which converge again to become the Meghna river before forming the Ganges Delta. Of its total length, 524 km (326 mi) is in India, 31 km (19 mi) in Bangladesh. The upper part of its navigable part is in India — 121 km (75 mi) between Lakhipur and Bhanga, declared as National Waterway 6, (NW-6) since the year 2016. It drains a basin of 52,000 km2 (20,000 sq mi), of which 41,723 km2 (16,109 sq mi) lies in India, 1.38% (rounded) of the country. The water and banks host or are visited by a wide variety of flora and fauna.
Tor khudree, the Deccan mahseer, Khudree mahseer, or black mahseer, is a freshwater fish of the carp family found in major rivers and reservoirs of India and Sri Lanka. Found throughout India, following large-scale introductions of artificially-bred fish across the country, but found of the largest size and in the greatest abundance in mountain or rocky streams.
The fish as originally described by Sykes in his November 1838 paper 'On the Fishes of the Dukhun' as Barbus khudree, is a silvery-bluish coloured fish, with blood red fins or fins tipped with a bluish tinge. The type locality is the Mula-Mutha River close to the Indian city of Pune, a part of the Krishna River basin.
Although there have been efforts to artificially breed this mahseer since the early1970's, there is no way to determine if these fish are Tor khudree, as the populations within the type locality have gone extinct.
The Manas River, known in Bhutan as the Drangme Chhu, is a transboundary river in the Himalayan foothills between southern Bhutan, India, and China. It is the largest of Bhutan's four major river systems, with the other three being the Amo Chu or Torsa River, the Wang Chu or Raidak, and the Puna Tshang Chu or Sankosh. It is met by three other major streams before it again debouches into India in western Assam. The river flows for a total length of 400 kilometres (250 mi), including through Tibet for 24 km (15 mi), Bhutan for 272 kilometres (169 mi), and Assam for 104 kilometres (65 mi) before it joins the mighty Brahmaputra River at Jogighopa. A major tributary of the Manas, the Aie River, joins it in Assam at Bangpari.
Tor putitora, the Golden Mahseer, Putitor mahseer, or Himalayan mahseer, is an endangered species of cyprinid fish that is found in rapid streams, riverine pools, and lakes in the Himalayan region. Its native range is within the basins of the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers. It was reported to be found in the Salween river, the natural border between Thailand and Myanmar as well, but the number is very rare, only three times in 28 years.
Osteobrama cotio is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Osteobrama. This species had three subspecies named O. cotio cotio, O. cotio cunma and O. cotio peninsularis but these are now considered separate species. This species is found in the drainage basins of the Ganges-Brahmaputra including Jiri River in Manipur, Barak River in Silchar, in Brahmaputra River, Uzan Bazaar in Assam, and in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab in India, and in Bangladesh. The presence of O. cotio in southern India and from the Indus basin of India and Pakistan needs to be confirmed. This species is threatened by extensive loss of habitat caused by pollution and deforestation.
Cycas pectinata was the fourth species of Cycas to be named; it was described in 1826 by Scottish surgeon and botanist Francis Buchanan-Hamilton from Kamrup, Assam in northeast India. The species is one of the most widespread cycads. It is found in the northeastern part of India, Nepal, Bhutan, northern Burma, southern China (Yunnan), Bangladesh, Burma, Malaysia, Cambodia, northern Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. Cycas pectinata usually grow at elevation 300 m to 1200 m and in difficult terrains. In China, it grows in dry, open thickets in limestone mountains, red soil in sparse monsoon forests. Cycas pectinata grows up to 40 feet (12 m) tall and has very large, ovoid male cones. The tallest Cycas pectinata is a female plant in North Kamrup, Assam which measures 52.8 feet (16.1 m). The tree is the world's tallest Cycas plant. In Northeast India, the species is under severe threat due to clearing of forest and overcollection of male cones for preparation of traditional medicines. The species is listed in CITES Appendix II and IUCN Redlist.
Royal Manas National Park is Bhutan's oldest national park, and the Royal government considers it the "conservation showpiece of the Kingdom" and a "genetic depository" for valuable plants. It has an area of 1,057 square kilometres (408 sq mi) and covers eastern Sarpang District, the western half of Zhemgang District, and western Pemagatshel District.
Tor douronensis, also known as Labeobarbus douronensis, is a species of ray-finned fish of the family Cyprinidae in the genus Tor. This Asian fresh water river carp can be discovered in southern Thailand, east to Vietnam and south to Indonesia. The species is known from the Chao Phraya and Mekong rivers.
This fish has been attributed to Valenciennes however, in his original notes, he claims that the fish he described "formed part of the collection made in Java by Kuhl and Van Hesselt; they named it Dourr." Certainly, the type locality is Java, in Indonesia and the holotype is lodged at Bogor Zoology Museum.
Tor tambroides, known as empurau in Malay, is a species of mahseer native to Southeast Asia.
Tor tor, commonly known as the tor mahseer or tor barb, is a species of cyprinid fish found in fast-flowing rivers and streams with rocky bottoms in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Pakistan. It is a commercially important food and game fish.
Tor sinensis, the Chinese or Red mahseer is a species of mahseer native to the Mekong River. It is known with certainty only from Yunnan, China; reports from Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand require confirmation.
It is one of four currently valid species described from China, the others being Tor laterivittatus, Tor polylepis, and Tor yingjiangensis.
B. Madhusoodana Kurup is an Indian fisheries researcher, academic and administrator. He is the Founder Vice-Chancellor of Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), Cochin and also served as the third Vice Chancellor of Shri Venkateshwara University, Gajraula, Uttar Pradesh. He has established and successfully developed the first Fisheries and Ocean Sciences University in the country. He did his postdoc from Fish Culture and Fisheries division, Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands. He served as UGC Professor (Fisheries) at Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) for over eighteen years.
The humpback mahseer is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish from the Indian endemic genus Hypselobarbus in the carp and minnow family Cyprinidae.
Tor remadevii, the orange-finned mahseer, also known as the hump-backed mahseer, is a Critically Endangered species of freshwater fish endemic to the Western Ghats of India. It is restricted to the Kaveri river basin.
Tor tambra, the Javan mahseer, is a species of mahseer native to Southeast Asia.
Tor ater, the dark mahseer, is a species of mahseer, a fish, native to Central Laos.
Tor malabaricus, the Malabar mahseer, is a fish, a species of mahseer native to southwestern India.
