The Western Ghats region of India is an area of exceptional freshwater biodiversity and endemism. Mahseer of the genus Tor are considered prized sport fishes of great cultural significance; nevertheless, they are threatened as a result of increasing anthropogenic stressors. In the River Cauvery, the mahseer community comprises a ‘blue-finned’ and an orange-finned, ‘hump-backed’ fish. Whilst it is not yet known whether these are distinct species or 2 different phenotypes, evidence suggests that the hump-backed phenotype is endemic to the river, whereas the blue-finned phenotype was introduced in the 1980s.
Links:
[1] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/feature-article/legendary-hump-backed-mahseer-tor-sp-india%E2%80%99s-river-cauvery-endemic-fish-swimming
[2] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/adrian-c-pinder
[3] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/rajeev-raghavan
[4] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/robert-britton
[5] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/journal/endangered-species-research
[6] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/fisheries-0
[7] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/cauvery
[8] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/endangered-species
[9] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/india
[10] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/freshwater-ecosystems
[11] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/invasive-alien-species