A checklist of fresh water fishes of Gondia District, Maharashtra
1*Satyanarayan Vyenkati Pusala and 2Mandar Satish Paingankar
1*Department of Zoology, Mohsinbhai Zaweri Mahavidyalaya, Desaiganj - 441207 (India) (Dist. Gadichiroli, M.S.) 2Department of Zoology, Government Science College, Chamorshi Road, Gadchiroli - 442605 (India) (Dist. Gadichiroli) *Corresponding Author, E-mail: - spusala12@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
The existing indicators for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) inadequately reflect data regarding inland fish biodiversity. Therefore, there is an urgent need to augment our understanding of fish biodiversity in unexplored areas. The primary purpose of the current study was to create a fish diversity inventory of freshwater fish species in the Gondia region and to enhance understanding of their distribution patterns. The present study provides a comprehensive checklist of fish species found in the freshwater bodies of Gondia district, Maharashtra, India. In the current study, a total of 36 species belonging to 10 orders, 16 families, and 31 genera were identified. The order Cypriniformes was the most dominant family, having 20 species, followed by the order Siluriformes with 05 species, Danionidae with 04 species, and Mugiliformes with 03 species, respectively. The observations of the current study revealed that 3 of species were near-threatened, while 30 were categorized as least concern, 2 of species were classified as data deficient, and 1 were not accessed, respectively. The presence of nearthreatened species like Parambassis lala and Wallago attu highlights the conservation significance of these freshwater bodies. This inventory serves as a baseline for future ecological and conservation studies, aiding in biodiversity monitoring, sustainable fishery management, and regional aquatic conservation planning