Ichthyofauna of river Kabul at Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

A study on the fishes of River Kabul at District Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was conducted from August 2011 to November 2011. A total of 24 fish species were identified belonging to 4 Orders (Cypriniformes, Siluriformes, Channiformes and Mastacembeliformes) and 8 families (Cyprinidae, Nemacheilidae, Sisoridae, Siluridae, Bagridae, Channidae, Mastacembelidae and Schilbeidae).FamilyCyprinidaewas the richestfamily of the present survey represented by 14 species; viz Carassius auratus, Cyprinus carpio,Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Puntius sophore, Puntius ticto, Crossocheilus diplocheilus, Tor macrolepis, Orienus plagiostomus, Barilius pakistanicus, Barilius vagra, Barilius modestus, Gara gotyla, Labeo rohita and Cirrhinus mrigala. FamilyChannidaewas represented by two species, i.e.Channa punctata and Channa gachua. FamilySiluridae was also denoted by two species i.e.Ompok pabda Wallagoand attu. Two species, namely Mystus bleekeri and Sperata sarwaricharacterized Family Bagridae. All other families were represented by a single species i.e. Acanthocobitis botia (Nemacheilidae), Glyptothorax punjabensis(Sisoridae), Mastacembelus armatus (Mastacembelidae) and Clupisoma naziri(Schilbeidae). Throughout the study period, Puntius was the most dominant and abundant genus of the fish followed by Barilius, Cyprinus and Channa. In the present survey, Sperata sarwari (Bagridae) is reported for the first time from Kabul River. However, fish diversity was significantly lower at Azakhel (Nowshera) due to the acidic pH of the water of the study area i.e. 6.Further studies are required to be done to fully comprehend the present pollution status and its effects on biotic fauna.