The Western Ghats, also known as the Sahyadri mountain range, is a mountain range that covers an area of 160,000 km2 (62,000 sq mi) in a stretch of 1,600 km (990 mi) parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula, traversing the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world. It is sometimes called the Great Escarpment of India. It contains a very large proportion of the country's flora and fauna, many of which are endemic to this region. The Western Ghats are older than the Himalayas. They influence Indian monsoon weather patterns by intercepting the rain-laden monsoon winds that sweep in from the south-west during late summer. The range runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain called the Western Coastal Plains along the Arabian Sea. A total of 39 areas in the Western Ghats, including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests, were designated as world heritage sites in 2012 – twenty of them in Kerala, ten in Karnataka, six in Tamil Nadu and four in Maharashtra.
Tor is a genus of cyprinid fish commonly known as mahseers.
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 Denison barb, Denison's barb, Miss Kerala, red-line torpedo barb, or roseline shark is an endangered species of cyprinid fish endemic to the fast-flowing hill streams and rivers of the Western Ghats in India. It is commonly seen in the aquarium trade; pet collection caused it to become endangered and is its single major threat.
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.
Tor putitora, the Putitor mahseer, Himalayan mahseer, or golden 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.
Barbodes wynaadensis is a species of cyprinid fish. It is endemic to the Wyanad Plateau and its surroundings in the southern Western Ghats, India. It occurs in fast-flowing rivers and streams with rock substrates. This species can reach a length of 50 centimetres (20 in) TL. It is of minor importance to local commercial fisheries.
The Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in the Mandya, Chamarajanagar and Ramanagar districts of Karnataka, India. The Cauvery River passes through its midst. An area of 510.52 km2 (197.11 sq mi) was established as Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary on 14 January 1987 under Section 18 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 with the objective of providing protection, conservation and development of Wildlife and its environment. The sanctuary was expanded to its current area of 102,753 hectares in 2013. On its east, it adjoins Dharmapuri forest division of Tamil Nadu state.
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.
Prof. (Dr) B. Madhusoodana Kurup, an internationally renowned fisheries researcher, academician, visionary and administrator, 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 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 barakae is a species of mahseer native to Manipur, India.
Tor malabaricus, the Malabar mahseer, is a fish, a species of mahseer native to southwestern India.
Pseudeutropius mitchelli is an endangered species of freshwater fishes endemic to Kerala, India that belongs to the family of Schilbid catfishes. It is known as Malabar patashi.
