Length–weight relationships of Barilius bendelisis (Hamilton, 1807), Barilius shacra (Hamilton, 1822) and Barilius barna (Hamilton, 1822) from Manas River in Assam,India

The present study describes the length–weight relationships (LWRs) for three ornamental hill stream fish species from the Manas River in Assam, India, namely, Barilius bendelisis (Hamilton, 1807), Barilius shacra (Hamilton, 1822), and Barilius barna (Hamilton, 1822). Fishes were collected on a monthly basis from March 2015 to February 2016 with cast nets (270 cm, 1.2 cm) and gillnets (7,500 × 130 cm, 5 cm). This is the first information on LWR data for two of the species.     

Length‐weight relationships of Barilius barila (Hamilton, 1822), Opsarius tileo (Hamilton, 1822) and Cyprinion semiplotum (McClelland, 1839) collected from Manas River in Assam,India

Length‐weight relationships (LWRs) are presented for three hill stream fish species belonging to the family Cyprinidae namely, Barilius barila (Hamilton, 1822), Opsarius tileo (Hamilton, 1822) and Cyprinion semiplotum (McClelland, 1839). Fishes were collected on a monthly basis from January 2016 to December 2017 with the help of cast net (270 cm length, 1.2 cm mesh size) and gillnet (7,500 cm length × 130 cm depth, 5 cm mesh size) from the Manas river in Assam, India.. A new length record for the FishBase LWR database was observed in B. barila.      

Phenotypic divergence and molecular characterization of two sympatric species of genus Barilius (Hamilton) from the River Chenab of Western Himalaya

Barilius bendelisis and Barilius vagra inhabit mostly in the spring‐fed streams of Indian Himalaya and constitute an important portion of protein diet of the rural human population residing near the stream banks. In spite of large aquaculture importance of this genus very less morphometric and molecular studies have been conducted. This study addresses morphometric and molecular characterization of B. bendelisis and B. vagra by using truss analysis and mitochondrial COI gene. A total of 293 samples of Barilius bendelisis and 127 samples of Barilius vagra were collected from three different sites of Chenab river basin from March 2015 to April 2017. 14 landmarks were used to measure 90 truss measurements from digital images of specimens using network of three softwares, tpsUtil, tpsDig2 and PAST. A total of 89 distance variables exhibited significant differences among the populations. The principal component analysis generated ten components explaining 89.164% of total variance among six populations of B. bendelisis and B. vagra. 89.0% of individuals of B. bendelisis and B. vagra were classified into their original groups. The Phylogenetic analysis with other published COI sequences revealed distinct nature of these two species. The study may aid in taxonomic identification and phenotypic divergence which will be helpful in proper conservation and management of these species of hill trout in India.     

Genetic characterization of two hill stream fish species Barilius bendelisis (Ham.1807) and Barilius barna (Ham.1822) using RAPD markers

Genetic structure of four wild populations of two hill stream fishes Barilius bendelisis (Ham.1807) and B. barna (Ham. 1822) from Uttarakhand, India, was studied using RAPD markers. Eight selective primers provided distinct and consistent RAPD profiles in both the species, producing a total of 47 and 35 scorable bands in B. bendelisis and B. barna respectively. The bands in the range 666–4,830?bp were scored for consistent results. The RAPD profiles generated by all the eight primers revealed varying degrees of polymorphism (25.00–50.00?%). The average genetic diversity (h) was estimated as 0.1661 and 0.1606 among the four populations of B. bendelisis and B. barna respectively.     

Length–weight relationships of five fish species collected from Basistha River,a torrential river in Assam,India

Length–weight relationships (LWRs) are presented for five species, namely: Garra nasuta (McClelland, 1838); Garra gotyla gotyla (Gray, 1830); Devario aequipinnatus (McClelland, 1839); Barilius bendelisis (Hamilton, 1807) and Pseudolaguvia shawi (Hora, 1921) collected from the Basistha River, Guwahati, Assam, India. Information regarding LWR data for four of these species was not yet available in FishBase (Version 04/2015; Froese and Pauly, 2015).     

Length‐weight relationship and relative condition factor of five indigenous fish species from Torsa River,West Bengal,India

Length‐weight relationships (LWRs) for five indigenous fish species under five genera and two families, namely Cyprinion semiplotum (McClelland, 1839), Barilius barna (Hamilton, 1822), Barilius barila (Hamilton, 1822), Gagata sexualis Tilak, 1970 and Pseudolaguvia shawi (Hora, 1921) were studied from Torsa River in West Bengal, India. Sampling was done at quarterly intervals from November, 2015 to December, 2016 and a total of 701 fish specimens were collected using cast nets (mesh size of 15–20 mm), gill nets (mesh size 20–35 mm) and bamboo traps. In the present study, b value ranges from 2.686 to 3.268. LWRs for these fish species (except P. shawi) have not been reported in FishBase. A new maximum length has been recorded for P. Shawi and G. sexualis. The relative condition factor (Kn) values was found to range from 1.004 to 1.028.     

Length–weight relationships of Hara hara (Hamilton, 1822), Pangio pangia (Hamilton, 1822) and Setipinna brevifilis (Valenciennes, 1848) from the lower Brahmaputra River,Northeast India

The present study describes the length–weight relationships (LWRs) for Hara hara, Pangio pangia and Setipinna brevifilis from the lower Brahmaputra River in Assam, Northeast India, collected from June 2016 to May 2017, using fishing gears namely cast nets (9′, 1 ⁄ 2″) and gillnets (30 × 0.9 m). No previous data have ever been recorded on LWR for these three species.     

Length–weight relationships of Garra birostris Nebeshwar & Vishwanath, 2013, Garra annandalei (Hora, 1921), Johnius coitor (Hamilton, 1822) and Raiamas bola (Hamilton, 1822) from the Brahmaputra River basin,Northeast India

Length–weight relationships (LWRs) for one percoid (Johnius coitor) and three cyprinid (Garra birostris, Garra annandalei and Raiamas bola) fish species from the Brahmaputra River basin in Assam, Northeast India, was studied on a monthly basis from November 2015 to December 2016, using fishing gears namely, cast nets (9′, 1/2″) and gillnets (30 × 0.9 m). No previous record is available on LWR data for three of these species.     

Length weight relationships of two small indigenous cyprinid fishes,Osteobrama cotio (Hamilton, 1822) and Salmophasia phulo (Hamilton, 1822) from Panchet Reservoir,Damodar River (tributary of River Ganga), India

Length–weight relationships were determined for two small indigenous cyprinid fishes: Osteobrama cotio (Hamilton, 1822) and Salmophasia phulo (Hamilton, 1822) collected from Panchet reservoir, Damodar River, India. About 143 specimens of Osteobrama cotio (5.2–10.4 cm TL) and 113 specimens of Salmophasia phulo (2.9–8.2 cm TL) were collected from November 2014 to June 2016 using gillnets of mesh size ranging from 25 to 120 mm (STR) and dragnets of mesh size 10–20 mm (STR). No previous information on LWRs for these two species from an Indian reservoir was available in the literature.     

Length–weight and length–length relationships of the vulnerable dark mahseer Puntius chelynoides (McClelland, 1839) from Garhwal Himalaya,India

The present study describes the length–weight (LWR) and length–length relationships (LLR) of Puntius chelynoides (McClelland, 1839), commonly known as the dark mahseer, a coldwater fish species which inhabits fast‐flowing hill‐streams of India and Nepal. A total of 422 specimens were collected between January and June 2010 from a spring‐fed stream in Garhwal Himalaya, India. No information regarding LWRs, LLRs or K of this species was available in FishBase.     

Length–weight relationships of four freshwater cyprinid species from a tributary of Ganga River Basin in North India

This paper provides length‐weight relationships (LWRs) for four freshwater cyprinid fish species, namely Barilius bendelisis (Hamilton, 1807), Bangana dero (Hamilton, 1807), Chagunius chagunio (Hamilton, 1807) and Labeo dyocheilus (McClelland, 1839) from the Kosi River, a tributary of the River Ganga in northern India. Altogether 848 specimens were caught bimonthly (for B. bendelisis) and quarterly for the other three species between March 2013 and December 2014 using cast nets (9 m length, 9 m width and 1/2 cm mesh size). LWRs for two of the four species (B. dero and C. chagunio) are recorded for the first time. The present study results will be useful for fishery researchers, management and conservation in this least‐explored tributary of the Ganga River Basin.     

Length‐weight relationship of two Ambassid fish species,Parambassis dayi (Bleeker, 1874) and Parambassis thomassi (Day, 1870) from River Pamba,Southern Western Ghats,India

The present study provides the length‐weight relationships (LWRs) of two Ambassid fish species, Parambassis dayi (Bleeker, 1874) and Parambassis thomassi (Day, 1870) from River Pamba in Southern Western Ghats, India. Fishes were collected on a monthly basis between April 2014 to March 2015 using gill nets (1.0–3.0 cm), cast nets (1.0–2.0 cm) and seine nets (1.0 cm). The b values in the LWRs were estimated as 3.01 for P. dayi and 3.14 for P. thomassi. No previous information is available on LWRs for these two species in FishBase.     

Length‐weight and length‐length relationships of Balitora brucei Gray, 1830 and Psilorhynchus balitora (Hamilton, 1822) from the Ranganadi river of Assam,India

The study describes length‐weight relationships (LWRs) and length‐length relationships (LLRs) for two species of fishes, namely Balitora brucei Gray, 1830 and Psilorhynchus balitora (Hamilton, 1822) collected from Ranganadi river in Lakhimpur district of Assam, India for which no LWRs and LLRs are available. While sampling monthly between April 2012 and July 2016, a total of 987 specimens were collected (B. brucei = 427, and P. balitora = 560). Cast nets were used (2 ‐ 10 mm mesh sizes; 2–2.5 m length). The values of the parameter slope (b) in the LWR were determined as 3.194 (male = 3.047 and female = 3.224) for B. brucei and 3.490 (male = 3.480 and female = 3.502) for P. balitora. Present investigation reports new maximum total length for both the fishes.     

Genetic Characterization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Barilius barna</Emphasis> (Hamilton, 1822) in the Teesta River of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal,India, Through RAPD and ISSR Fingerprinting

Genetic characterization of Barilius barna, an economically important freshwater fish in the Indian scenario, is unexplored in the sub-Himalayan Dooars region of West Bengal, India. This study is the first attempt to characterize the genetic architecture of Barilius barna from the Teesta river of this region. We have studied loci polymorphism, genetic diversity, Shannon’s information index and the measure of evenness in the two populations of this river through ten RAPD and seven ISSR primer-based PCR amplifications. The result showed 89.52 and 82.21% polymorphisms in RAPD and ISSR amplification respectively. The Nei’s genetic diversity and Shannon’s information index varied from 0.172 ± 0.189SD to 0.293 ± 0.164SD and 0.265 ± 0.268SD to 0.445 ± 0.220SD respectively, which indicated low level of genetic variation. AMOVA revealed significant level of variance within the population and gene flow between the populations. Low levels of genetic variation and moderate to high levels of genetic relatedness were found in the studied populations. Expectedly, the populations were genetically not very distant from each other, as evident from the Nei’s unbiased measure of genetic distance and identity. As the species is commercially important and the region is located in the sub-Himalayan region, the management and proper rehabilitation of this ichthyofauna in the wild is urgently required. Our results may serve as a guideline for adopting such management decisions.     

Length–weight relationships for Eutropiichthys murius (Hamilton, 1822), Coilia reynaldi Valenciennes, 1848 and Johnius gangeticus Talwar, 1991 from lower stretch of the River Ganga,India

Length‐weight relationships (LWRs) for three fish species from the River Ganga (India) is presented. Sampling was conducted from the lower stretch of the River Ganga (Patna: 25°36′51.66″N & 85°12′7.02″E to Freserganj: 21°35′40.58″N & 88°15′28.92″E) during April, June and September and December of 2017. Specimens were caught using gill nets (18 nos.; mesh 18–32 mm), and bag nets (3 nos.; mesh 14–22 mm). The values a and b from LWRs ‐were found to be 0.007 and 2.977 for Eutropiichthys murius; 0.003 and 3.001 for Coilia reynaldi; 0.009 and 3.010 for Johnius gangeticus.     

Length‐weight relationships of Badis dibruensis Geetakumari and Vishwanath, 2010 (Badidae) and Lepidocephalichthys arunachalensis (Datta and Barman, 1984) (Cobitidae) from Subansiri River (Brahmaputra basin), Northeast India

Length–weight relationships (LWRs) for Badis dibruensis and Lepidocephalichthys arunachalensis, collected from the lower Subansiri River (Brahmaputra basin) in Assam, India from March 2016 to April 2017 using fishing gears namely cast nets (2.5 m, 1 m; 10–15 mm mesh size) and gillnets (30 × 0.9 m; 5–10 mm mesh size), are presented based on seasonal collections. The b values in the LWRs were determined as 2.56 for B. dibruensis and 3.28 for L. arunachalensis.     

Length–weight relationship of two fish species from Poonch River,Western Indian Himalaya: Glyptothorax kashmirensis (Hora, 1923) and Crossocheilus diplochilus (Heckel, 1838)

This study provides the first report of length–weight relationships (LWRs) for two fish species, Glyptothorax kashmirensis and Crossocheilus diplochilus, collected from the Poonch River, one of the lesser tributaries to the Indus basin in India. New maximum length records are reported for both species.     

Length–weight and length–length relationship of Thryssa purava (Hamilton, 1822), Thryssa polybranchialis Wongratana, 1983 and Thryssa mystax (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) from Chilika lagoon,India

Current study provides basic information on Length–weight relationship (LWR) and length‐length relationship (LLR) of three fish species of genus Thryssa (Clupeiformes: Engraulidae) i.e., Thryssa purava (Hamilton, 1822), Thryssa polybranchialis Wongratana, 1983 and Thryssa mystax (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) from Chilika Lagoon, India. Samples were collected during the monsoon (July) and post‐monsoon (November) seasons in 2016 and during the pre‐monsoon season (May) in 2017, using screen barrier nets (mesh size 8–18 mm) and gill nets (mesh size 14 and 16 mm). The b values were determined from LWRs as 3.026 for Thryssa purava, 3.326 for Thryssa polybranchialis and 3.081 for Thryssa mystax.     

Length‐weight relationship of two cyprinid fish species,Hypselobarbus thomassi (Day, 1874) and Hypselobarbus kurali (Menon & Rema Devi, 1995) from River Kallada,Southern Western Ghats,India

The present study reports the length‐weight relationship (LWRs) of two cyprinid fishes, Hypselobarbus thomassi (Day, 1874) and Hypselobarbus kurali (Menon & Rema Devi, 1995) from River Kallada, Southern Western Ghats, India. About 182 samples of H. thomassi (10.7–60.4 cm TL) and 108 samples of H. kurali (9.8–27.0 cm TL) were collected on a monthly basis between August 2015 to July 2016 using gill nets (1.5–12.0 cm). The ‘b’ values in LWRs were determined as 2.96 for H. thomassi and 2.93 for H. kurali. No previous information is available on LWR data for these two species.     

New maximum size records and length–weight relationships for two species,Corica soborna (Hamilton, 1822) and Mystus bleekeri (Day, 1877), from the Ganges River (NW Bangladesh)

This study records new maximum lengths and provides length–weight relationships (LWRs) for two small indigenous fishes, Corica soborna (Hamilton, 1822) and Mystus bleekeri (Day, 1877), from the Ganges River in northwestern Bangladesh. Fishes were sampled sporadically using gill nets and cast nets from August 2015 to July 2016. New maximum recorded lengths weere 5.3 cm total length (TL) for C. soborna and 17.7 cm TL for M. bleekeri. The LWRs were highly significant (p < .001) with r² values >.958. These findings will play a significant role in the fisheries resource management.