Resolving the taxonomic enigma of the iconic game fish, the hump-backed mahseer from the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India

Autor: J. Robert Britton, J. D. Marcus Knight, Prasannan Krishnankutty, Rajeev Raghavan, Siby Philip, Adrian C. Pinder, Neelesh Dahanukar, A Manimekalan
Rok vydání: 2018
Předmět:
0106 biological sciences
0301 basic medicine
Physiology
Biodiversity
lcsh:Medicine
Mandible
01 natural sciences
Geographical Locations
Medicine and Health Sciences
lcsh:Science
Phylogeny
Data Management
Conservation Science
Likelihood Functions
Multidisciplinary
Geography
biology
Fishes
Eukaryota
Discriminant Analysis
Game fish
Freshwater Fish
Physiological Parameters
Vertebrates
Freshwater fish
Anatomy
Research Article
Mahseer
Computer and Information Sciences
Asia
Imaging Techniques
Fishing
India
Research and Analysis Methods
010603 evolutionary biology
03 medical and health sciences
Rivers
Animals
Taxonomy
Mouth
Morphometry
lcsh:R
Ecology and Environmental Sciences
Organisms
Fish fin
Biology and Life Sciences
biology.organism_classification
Biodiversity hotspot
Dorsal fin
Fishery
Fish
030104 developmental biology
People and Places
lcsh:Q
Zoology
Digestive System
Zdroj: PLoS ONE
PLoS ONE, Vol 13, Iss 6, p e0199328 (2018)
ISSN: 1932-6203
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199328
Popis: Growing to lengths and weights exceeding 1.5 m and 45 kg, the hump-backed mahseer fish of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India, is an iconic, mega-faunal species that is globally recognized as a premier freshwater game fish. Despite reports of their high extinction risk, conservation approaches are currently constrained by their lack of valid taxonomic identity. Using an integrative approach, incorporating morphology, molecular analysis and historical photographs, this fish can now be revealed to be conspecific with Tor remadevii, a species lacking a common name, that was initially, but poorly, described in 2007 from the River Pambar, a tributary of the River Cauvery in Kerala. Currently known to be endemic and restricted to the River Cauvery basin in the Western Ghats, T. remadevii is distinguished from congeners by its prominent hump originating above the pre-opercle and extending to the origin of the dorsal fin, a well-developed mandible resulting in a terminal or slightly superior mouth position, and the dorsal orientation of the eyes. While body colouration varies (silver, bronze, greenish) and is not considered a reliable diagnostic character, orange coloration of the caudal fin (sometimes extending to all fins) is considered a consistent characteristic. Having been first brought to the attention of the scientific community in 1849, and the recreational angling (game fishing) community in 1873, it has taken over 150 years to finally provide this iconic fish with a valid scientific name. This taxonomic clarity should now assist development and delivery of urgent conservation actions commensurate with their extinction risk.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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