|Scientific Name:||Hypselobarbus thomassi|
|Species Authority:||(Day, 1874)|
Barbus thomassi Day, 1874
Gonoproktopterus thomassi (Day, 1874)
Hypselobarbus thomasi (Day, 1874)
Puntius thomassi (Day, 1874)
|Taxonomic Notes:||Hypselobarbus thomassi was described by Day (1874) from South Canara (Dakshin Kannada), Karnataka State, India.|
|Red List Category & Criteria:||Critically Endangered B2ab(iii) ver 3.1|
|Assessor(s):||Rema Devi, K.R. & Ali, A.|
|Reviewer(s):||Dahanukar, N., Ali, A. & Molur, S.|
|Contributor(s):||Molur, S. & Bogutskaya, N.|
Hypselobarbus thomassi is reported from several drainages north and south of Palghat Gap in the Western Ghats. However, only two areas (one each in Netravathi and Kabini rivers), both part of the Cauvery catchment in Karnataka and Kerala north of the Palghat Gap, are confirmed reports while the southern Western Ghats populations are considered a different taxon. Based only on the confirmed identities in Karnataka and northern Kerala, the species is restricted to less than 10 km² area, but in two severely fragmented locations. Recent surveys in the two areas have only reported one specimen from Netravathy indicating declines in the populations due to several threats in the areas. Although this species could be assigned a Data Deficient category due to taxonomic confusion, the assessment based on confirmed taxonomy indicates that it is Critically Endangered. Recommendations for urgent surveys and population monitoring in the known areas as well as taxonomic validation of the other populations are made.
|Range Description:||Endemic to the Western Ghats (Dahanukar et al. 2004). There seems to be a uncertainty regarding the exact distribution of this species. Apart from Nethravati River (which is around the type locality) (Menon 2004), H. thomassi has been recorded from Periyar (Thomas 2004), Kabini (Shaji and Easa 2003) and Kallada rivers (Kurup et al. 2004) in Kerala. Recent studies have indicated that only three species of Hypselobarbus viz. H. curmuca, H. kolus and H. kurali is present in River Kallada (Abraham et al. 2010), and that the reports of H. thomassi from this river are not correct and are cases of misidentifications (Robin Abraham pers. comm). Given the taxonomic ambiguities existing within the Genus Hypselobarbus, the records of this species from Periyar (Thomas 2004) and Kallada (Kurup et al. 2004) needs to be validated and are excluded from this assessment.|
|Range Map:||Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.|
|Population:||There is no information on the population status of H. thomassi, nor are they any recent records from anywhere in Kerala or Karnataka. It is also known that an extensive search in South Canara turned up only one specimen (Menon 2004).|
|Habitat and Ecology:||It inhabits fast-flowing streams and rivers below the Ghats, in forested areas (Menon 1999).|
|Use and Trade:||No information on use or trade. However like all large barbs within the genus Hypselobarbus, this species is also a potential food fish.|
|Major Threat(s):||The Nethravati drainage is known to be threatened by sand mining and pollution.|
|Conservation Actions:||There is a need for concerted studies to determine the exact distribution ranges of this species and clear the existing taxonomic ambiguities within the genus Hypselobarbus. As there are no recent records of this species, it is to determined whether these are attributed to large scale population declines throughout its range or taxonomic issues. The Nethravati and Kabini rivers of Karnataka and Kerala, where the species might be existing, needs to be surveyed extensively.|
Abraham, R.K., Rajesh, R & Kelkar, N. 2010. Do protected areas of India’s Western Ghats conserve fish diversity? Final Report Submitted to the Conservation Leadership Program.
Dahanukar, N., Raut, R. and Bhat, A. 2004. Distribution, endemism and threat status of freshwater fishes in the Western Ghats of India. Journal of Biogeography 31: 123-136.
Day, F. 1874. On some new or little-known fishes of India. Proceedings of the General Meetings for Scientific Business of the Zoological Society of London 1873(3): 704-710.
IUCN. 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2011.1). Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 16 June 2011).
Kurup, B.M., Radhakrishnan, K.V. and Manojkumar, T.G. 2004. Biodiversity Status of Fishes Inhabiting Rivers of Kerala (South India) With Special Reference to Endemism, Threats and Conservation Measures. In: R.L. Welcomme and T. Petr (eds), Proceedings of the second international symposium on the management of large rivers for fisheries 2: 316. Cambodia.
Menon, A.G.K. 1999. Check list - fresh water fishes of India..
Menon, A.G.K. 2004. Threatened Fishes of India and their Conservation.
Shaji, C.P. and Easa, P.S. (eds). 2003. Freshwater fishes of Kerala. pp. 125. Kerala Forest Research Research Institute (KFRI), Thrissur.
Thomas, R.K. 2004. Habitat and Distribution of Hill Stream Fishes of Southern Kerala (south of Palghat Gap). Zoology, Mahatma Gandhi University.
|Citation:||Rema Devi, K.R. & Ali, A. 2013. Hypselobarbus thomassi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 January 2015.|
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