Abstract
Diversity, distribution and assemblage structure of fishes were studied in 10 selected streams of southern Western Ghats. The sampling was performed between April 2001 and March 2002. Sixty species of primary freshwater fishes belonging to four orders, 13 families and 27 genera were recorded from the study area. Cyprinids were the most dominant assemblage members in all study streams. Maximum number of species, number of individuals and cyprinids were recorded from Thalayanai stream. More specialized forms Homaloptera santhamparaiensis, Glyptothorax madraspatanum, Noemacheilus guentheri, N. keralensis, N. semiarmatus and N. triangularis were recorded in Panniyar stream. High diversity was observed in Achankoil stream. Evenness index of similarity was uniform in all study streams. Similarity cluster analysis showed streams from nearby basins had similar faunal assemblages. Principal Component Analysis was performed to study the similarity of fish assemblages between the study streams. The analysis described clear pattern of segregation between Thalayanai and Karaiyar (east flowing) and Kallar and Achankoil (west flowing) streams. Thirty-nine Western Ghats endemic fishes were recorded from the study area. Current distribution and threats to endemic fishes are discussed.
Highlights
Freshwater habitats in rivers, streams, springs and headwaters are heterogeneous due to variations in altitude, flow rates, dissolved oxygen, physical substrate and the riparian zones that provide food, shade and cover (Armantrout 1990)
Riverine fauna show a high degree of endemism, with most endemic fish species living in headwater streams and/or short stretches of river (Groombridge 1992; Kottelat & Whitten 1997)
The Western Ghats biogeographic region of India is home to a highly diverse fish fauna, consisting of 288 known species belonging to 12 orders, 41 families and 109 genera (Dahanukar et al 2004), of which 116 (53%) species are endemic to this region (Daniels 2001)
Summary
Freshwater habitats in rivers, streams, springs and headwaters are heterogeneous due to variations in altitude, flow rates, dissolved oxygen, physical substrate and the riparian zones that provide food, shade and cover (Armantrout 1990). Riverine fauna show a high degree of endemism, with most endemic fish species living in headwater streams and/or short stretches of river (Groombridge 1992; Kottelat & Whitten 1997). While reports on the fish assemblage and distribution patterns seem to cover the Western Ghats fairly well, gaps remain with regard to assemblage structure of the southern region. The main objective of this study is to describe fish assemblage structure in streams of the southern Western Ghats, assess species diversity and similarity of faunal assemblage between streams and evaluate endemism and current conservation status of Western Ghats fish populations
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