Fish faunal diversity and species richness of tectonic Lake Rupa in the mid-hill of central Nepal

Abstract

A study of fish diversity in stagnant, but running water body is very interesting for the conservation of wetlands and protection of native species. We studied the fish fauna of tectonic Lake Rupa located in the mid-hill region of Central Nepal. We explored the fish diversity, species richness and conservation status at one of the biggest water resources of Pokhara valley enriched with fish fauna. We sampled the species using local fishers based on some informal questionnaire survey with local people and fishers. We found that 23 different species of fish from 5 orders, 6 families, and 18 genera occupy this aquatic ecosystem wherein 19 species are indigenous whereas four of them are exotic. The order Cypriniformes was dominant in terms of both species composition (69.56%) as well as individuals captured (70.76%). Also, the popular indigenous game fish Tor putitora contributed only 0.12% of the catch in total number of individual species sampled. To the best of our knowledge the invasive catfishes namely Clarias batrachus and Clarias gariepinus are being reported for the first time from the lake.