''Tor barakae'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

mahseer Mahseer is the common name used for the genera ''Tor (fish), Tor'', ''Neolissochilus'', ''Naziritor'' and ''Parator zonatus, Parator'' in the family Cyprinidae (carps). The name is, however, more often restricted to members of the genus ''Tor'' ...

native to

Manipur Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Taxonomy

This mahseer was described as a distinct species due to taxonomic differences between it and the other mahseers of the trans-Himalayan region; '' Tor putitora'', '' Tor tor'' and '' Tor mosal''. In the description paper, many of the taxonomic features used for comparison do not reference the original descriptions of those species, rather, the referenced data are from more recent studies by Indian ichthyologist Menon. However, compared to Hamilton's original descriptions of the mahseers of trans-Himalaya, the meristic counts for the pectoral fin bear consideration. Tor barakae has 14 rays in this fin, whereas Tor putitora has 15, Tor tor has 18 and Tor mosal has 17.

Distribution

So far, the little research conducted on this mahseer species has all been done in the

Barak River The Barak River or Barbakro or Agu flows through the states of Manipur, Mizoram and Assam in India. It flows into Bangladesh where it bifurcates into the Surma river and the Kushiyara river which converge again to become the Meghna river before ...

, mostly in the Indian state of Manipur. Given that this is a trans-boundary river, shared between India and Bangladesh, it may be assumed that Tor barakae is a resident of both. Wider distributions within the

Brahmaputra River The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Southwestern China, Northeastern India, and Bangladesh. It is known as Brahmaputra or Luit in Assamese language, Assamese, Yarlung Tsangpo in Lhasa Tibetan, Tibetan, the Siang/Dihan ...

basin are not yet ascertained. In the Barak Bridge area where the initial studies were conducted, this fish is called 'Nung nga'.

Ecology

As all other mahseer species are

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that regularly consumes significant quantities of both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize ...

, it may be expected that Tor barakae is the same, with a diet that likely includes aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, fruit and vegetation, small amphibians and other fish. It would seem probable that adult fish access headwaters for spawning during high water conditions.

Conservation

This species is currently assigned as Near Threatened by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

. Given that the species is identified from the capture of only five specimens, and that little work has been done beyond the initial identification, the major constraining factor in any conservation strategy is the complete lack of understanding of the distribution and ecology of the species and how or if it interacts with other local mahseer species within the same habitat. With other mahseer species, the main threats are: loss of habitat due to urbanisation, encroachment on flood plains, dam building, sand extraction and pollution. Destructive fishing methods like dynamite, poisoning and electricity are in common use throughout South and Southeast Asia, and may be expected to be a major threat to the sustainability of populations. There has been some work completed on the habitat suitability and capabilities of the river system to support mahseers and other fishes . Given that the Barak River is known to be very dynamic, the plans to straighten and dredge the river for use as part of the national water highway system must raise the level of threat to these fish.

References

External links

* https://www.mahseertrust.org/ * http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Tor-barakae.html {{Taxonbar, from=Q6397448 barakae Fish described in 2003