Paper Details

Ichthyofaunal diversity of rhound stream at district Lower Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan

Sana Ullah, Zaigham Hasan, Shahzad Ahmad, Muhammad Rauf, Baber Khan

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.12692/ijb/4.8.241-247

Int. J. Biosci. 4(8), 241-247. April, 2014. (PDF)

Abstract:

The present preliminary study was undertaken to study the diversity and distribution of Ichthyofauna of Rhound stream, a tributary of river Panjkora, at District Lower Dir Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Fish sampling was carried out using different types of nets, of various mesh sizes and hooks. A total of 369 fishes were collected from April through September 2013. During the study period fourteen fish species were recorded comprising of four orders including Cypriniformes, Channiformes, Siluriformes and Mastacembeliformes, and five families. Taxonomically, Cyprinidae was the richest family represented by eleven fish species including Crossocheilus diplocheilus (17.073%), Barilius pakistanicus (16.531%), Gara gotyla (13.921%), Cyprinion watsoni (7.859%), Schizopyge esocinus (7.317%), Racoma labiata (7.317%), Cyprinus carpio (5.149%), Barilius vagra (4.607%), Barilius modestus (2.981%), Puntius sophore (2.439%) and Puntius ticto (0.813). Family Channidae, Mastacembelidae and Sisoridae were embodied to one species each, Channa punctatus (5.691%), Mastecembelus armatus (5.42%) and Glyptothorax punjabensis (2.981%) respectively. Present study concludes that the stream has high diversity and can harbour more diversity and greater number of fish. If proper stocking is done in future in a planned way, the stream may become the back bone of the economy of the area.