Tor remadevii
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.[1] It is restricted to the Kaveri river basin.
Orange-finned mahseer | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Cypriniformes |
Family: | Cyprinidae |
Genus: | Tor |
Species: | T. remadevii |
Binomial name | |
Tor remadevii Kurup & Radhakrishnan, 2007 | |
It can be distinguished from other mahseer from the prominent hump on its back, and its bright orange caudal fin. It is considered a high-quality game fish, and has been proclaimed by anglers as "the largest and hardest fighting freshwater fish in the world".[2] The reason for the species' endangerment is the introduction of a non-native "blue-finned mahseer" (generally considered to be Tor khudree, though the "blue-finned mahseer"'s classification is under scrutiny as it actually may be a different, undescribed species[2]) to the Kaveri river basin. Also endangering this species is the heavy construction of dams along the Cauvery, as well as the use of dynamite fishing.[3] These have led to a heavy crash in mahseer populations since 2004. Despite this endangered status, general lack of a formal scientific name has hampered efforts to protect species. However, a 2018 study found out that the orange-finned mahseer was in fact conspecific with Tor remadevii, a little-known species identified in 2007 based on a single juvenile individual from the Pambar River.[4] This has allowed the species to finally gain a scientific name, which may help conservation efforts.
Gallery
References
- "Tor remadevii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- Pinder, Adrian C.; Raghavan, R. & Britton, J.R. (2015). "The legendary hump-backed mahseer Tor sp. of India's River Cauvery: an endemic fish swimming towards extinction?". Endangered Species Research. 28 (1): 11–17. doi:10.3354/esr00673.
- "Can its scientific name save India's famed hump-backed mahseer?". Research Matters. 22 June 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
- Pinder, Adrian C.; Manimekalan, Arunachalam; Knight, J. D. Marcus; Krishnankutty, Prasannan; Britton, J. Robert; Philip, Siby; Dahanukar, Neelesh & Raghavan, Rajeev (20 June 2018). "Resolving the taxonomic enigma of the iconic game fish, the hump-backed mahseer from the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India". PLOS ONE. 13 (6): e0199328. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0199328. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 6010267. PMID 29924871.