Tor remadevii
Orange-finned mahseer | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Cypriniformes |
Family: | Cyprinidae |
Genus: | Tor |
Species: | T. remadevii
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Binomial name | |
Tor remadevii Kurup & Radhakrishnan, 2007
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Tor remadevii, the orange-finned mahseer, also known as the hump-backed mahseer, is a critically endangered species of freshwater fish endemic to the Western Ghats of India.[2] It is restricted to the Kaveri river basin.
It can be distinguished from other mahseer from the prominent hump on its back, and its bright orange caudal fin. It is considered a high-quality game fish, and has been proclaimed by anglers as "the largest and hardest fighting freshwater fish in the world".[3] The reason for the species' endangerment is the introduction of a non-native "blue-finned mahseer" (generally considered to be Tor khudree, though the "blue-finned mahseer"'s classification is under scrutiny as it actually may be a different, undescribed species[3]) to the Kaveri river basin. Also endangering this species is the heavy construction of dams along the Cauvery, as well as the use of dynamite fishing.[4] These have led to a heavy crash in mahseer populations since 2004. Despite this endangered status, general lack of a formal scientific name has hampered efforts to protect species. However, a 2018 study found out that the orange-finned mahseer was in fact conspecific with Tor remadevii, a little-known species identified in 2007 based on a single juvenile individual from the Pambar River.[5] This has allowed the species to finally gain a scientific name, which may help conservation efforts.
Gallery
References
- ^ Pinder, A.; Katwate, U.; Dahanukar, N.; Harrison, A. (2018). "Tor remadevii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T56096394A56717605. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T56096394A56717605.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Tor remadevii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ a b Pinder, Adrian C.; Raghavan, R. & Britton, J.R. (2015). "The legendary hump-backed mahseer Tor sp. of India's River Cauvery: an endemic fish swimming towards extinction?". Endangered Species Research. 28 (1): 11–17. doi:10.3354/esr00673.
- ^ "Can its scientific name save India's famed hump-backed mahseer?". Research Matters. 22 June 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
- ^ Pinder, Adrian C.; Manimekalan, Arunachalam; Knight, J. D. Marcus; Krishnankutty, Prasannan; Britton, J. Robert; Philip, Siby; Dahanukar, Neelesh & Raghavan, Rajeev (20 June 2018). "Resolving the taxonomic enigma of the iconic game fish, the hump-backed mahseer from the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India". PLOS ONE. 13 (6): e0199328. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0199328. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 6010267. PMID 29924871.
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- Cyprinidae
- Cyprinid fish of Asia
- Freshwater fish of India
- Endemic fauna of the Western Ghats
- Taxa named by B. Madhusoodana Kurup
- Taxa named by Kizhakke Veetil Radhakrishnan
- Fish described in 2007