AN ENQUIRY ON ICHTHYODIVERSITY OF THE CHALAN BEEL, A KEY ICHTHYOFAUNAL HOTSPOT OF NORTHWESTERN BANGLADESH

Abstract

This meta-analysis focused on the drift in ichthyodiversity of the Chalan Beel, a marshy, natural inland indentation, the largest of its kind in northwest (NW) Bangladesh. To apprehend the objective, we considered peer-reviewed fish inventories of the area published since 1971. The first checklist on the fishes of the Chalan Beel was compiled in 2009 after which, till now, we found only four similar studies. In total, we found 139 species annotated in these works including 10 exotic species. We, however, surmised a downward trend in fish fauna; from 114 species listed in 2009, in 2017 the Chalan Beel is reported to have 66 species – comprising only 30 species common in each of the five works. Cyprinidae is turned out as the most diverse abundant family for the area with 43 species. The most diverse order, on the contrary, is Siluriformes represented by 10 families and 42 species. Of the fish inventory, 3 were Critically Endangered, 15 Endangered, 13 Vulnerable and 21 Near Threatened in Bangladesh. The Chalan Beel is reported to have 3 globally Vulnerable and 10 globally Near Threatened fish. Reviewing works on the Chalan Beel revealed a potential new exotic species Trichogaster labiosa for Bangladesh and mentioning of 3 species found in no national fish inventories viz., Erethistoides infuscatus, Parachiloglanis hodgarti and Poropuntius clavatus.

ECOPRINT 24: 37-46, 2017