Fish diversity studies of two rivers of the northeastern Godavari basin, India

• Main Author: N.K. Heda
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wildlife Information Liaison Development Society 2009-10-01
• Series: Journal of Threatened Taxa
• Online Access: http://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/article/view/435

Fish diversity was explored in two rivers of the northeastern Godavari basin: the Adan, tributary of the Painganga, and the Kathani, tributary of the Wainganga. Both rivers are part of the same basin but present different ecological, climatic and anthropogenic settings. Six sites were sampled in each river system over three years using gill nets, cast nets and locally available nets; the ‘catch per unit effort’ criterion was used for sampling. Forty-seven species of fish were identified. Species richness (Jackknife 1 and rarefaction) and diversity measures (Shannon and Simpson) were calculated and their values clearly show that the Kathani is a more diverse ecosystem in terms of fish diversity than the Adan. This difference is mainly due to anthropogenic influences upon the Adan.