Ichthyofaunal Diversity and Present Status of Shankar Beel of Golaghat District, Assam, India

Abstract

Wetlands are one of the most productive ecosystems on the Earth that play a vital role as potential reservoirs of water, exhibiting coveted bioresources that sustain animal life. Every wetland has its own regional and global importance in terms of ecological and socioeconomic values and plays a unique role in the ecosystem and society. Shankar beel is considered to be one of the main wetlands of Golaghat district of Upper Assam, a perineal freshwater wetland covering an area of about 27 hectares at present. The beel has both biological and environmental importance harbouring a large number of floral and faunal diversity, providing a breeding ground for a variety of migratory birds, and home to amphibians, reptiles, micro and macrophytes, insects, fishes, micro and macrophytes and several other important taxa of ecological and economic importance. This study aims to investigate the present fish diversity of Shankar beel located in the Golaghat district of Upper Assam along with their conservation status. The present study recorded the presence of 60 species belonging to 8 orders, 20 families and 40 genera, in the study area classified with standard taxonomic protocol and IUCN status. Among the species, 24 belong to the order Cypriniformes of which 23 species are from the family Cyprinidae representing the most dominant group in the beel. On the other hand, 14 species belong to the order Perciformes of which 5 species belong to Channidae order.