Ichthyofaunal Diversity Indices of the Ahangky River, Barak Basin, Tamenglong District, Manipur

Abstract

The study aims to study vividly about the fish diversity of the Ahangky river, Barak basin. Collection was done every month for one year from March 2023- February 2024. A total of 46 indigenous fish species were identified, belonging to 7 orders, 11 families, and 25 genera. Cypriniformes dominated, followed by Anguilliformes, Beloniformes, Perciformes, Siluriformes, and Synbranchiformes. Family Cyprinidae (50%) dominant the other families, followed by family Sisoridae (17.39%), Channidae(6.52%), Nemacheilidae (6.52%), Cobitidae (4.35%), Balitoridae (4.35%), Anguillidae (2.17%), Belonidae (2.17%), Gobiidae (2.17%), Mastacembelidae (2.17%) and Nandidae (2.17). Maximum fish diversity was recorded in March 2023 with 28 species. The highest and lowest Simpson index values were 0.974 (March 2023) and 0.923 (February 2024), while the Shannon index values ranged from 3.469 to 2.472 in the same months. The study highlights threats such as dynamite, electrofishing, chemical use, and overfishing by locals, endangering fish diversity.