Recent trends in discovery of new fish species from the Indian region

Abstract

Out of about 32,600 fishes found globally, 2,553 species have been reported from the Indian subcontinent in addition to about 500 introduced species. Six drainage systems and their tributaries are the natural habitat of the entire freshwater fish genetic resources (about 877 species). The Western Ghats and North-eastern Region are the globally recognized two biodiversity hotspots as these are the home of many endemic fish species which are exclusively confined to these areas. During exploration, identification and documentation of fish diversity by various authors in different geographic regions, 62 new species belonging to 4 Orders, 21 Families and 31 Genera have been discovered from the Indian region during 2010-13. Of these, 7 species were reported in 2010, 14 species in 2011, 24 species in 2012 and 16 species in 2013, 54 endemic species have been described from the freshwater system and 7 species from the marine ecosystem of Andaman and Tuticorin (Bay of Bengal), Arabian Sea and south Indian coast of the Indian Ocean. As far as the two biodiversity hot spots are concerned, 37 new species have been discovered from North-eastern region and 16 species from Western Ghats. The data thus collected and analysed indicate area-wise species richness and possibilities for more discoveries in future.