Diversity and distribution of fish species in Upper Watershed of Citanduy, West Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Citanduy is one of the major rivers in West Java, Indonesia, which empties into the Segara Anakan Lagoon. This river has streams originating from the Galunggung and Sawal Mountains. Information about freshwater fish in this area has not been fully documented and explored regarding fish diversity and distribution. This study aims to assess the fish diversity, abundance, distribution, and potential uses. The survey method was conducted upstream of the Citanduy River in the Regency of Tasikmalaya and Ciamis from 2012 to 2013. The sampling stations were grouped into the primary forest (1), secondary forest (2), shrubs (3), and (4) rice fields or plantations. In total, there are four stations in Sawal Mount and three groups of stations in Galunggung Mount. The collected fish were caught using electrofishing equipped with cast nets at each station. The results showed that there were 12 families with 24 species. Cichlidae is the dominant family with six species, followed by Cyprinidae with five species, and the remaining families only have one or two species. Both the Sawal and Galunggung Mountains have diverse habitats in rice fields or plantations. Based on the species, Barbodes binotatus was the most abundant species (128 ind./st.), followed by Nemacheilus fasciatus (64 ind./st.), Rasbora lateristriata (48 ind./st.) and the rest species with a range of 1-38 ind./st. Barbodes binotatus and Poecillia reticulata were widely distributed at 85.7%, followed by Channa gachua 71.4%; and the remaining species with a range of 14.3-57.1%. Most species have the potential as consume fish. Based on the species authenticity status, nine species (37.5%) were detected as introduced species.