Indigenous fish species in the modern ichthyofauna of the Balkhash basin
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1
Science Research Institute of Problems in Biology nd Biotechnology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Zoology, Kazakhstan
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2
McGill University, Biology, Canada
Indigenous fish fauna of the Balkhash basin was mostly formed in the postglacial period and consists of 10 species from Cyprinidae family, 5 from Balitoridae, and 1 from Percidae. More than 20 alien fish species were introduced here during XXth century that led to eradication of indigenous fishes from the Balkhash Lake and the Ili River. Our investigations of the fish fauna during last 25 years revealed permanent shortage of living area of indigenous fishes. Nowadays fish communities from only indigenous fish species exist in some remote and isolated water bodies. Areas of all indigenous fish species are become disconnected. Reduction of habitats goes relatively slow for naked osman Gymnodiptychus dybowskii (Kessler, 1874), spotted thicklip loach Triplophysa strauchii (Kessler, 1874), and gray loach Triplophysa dorsalis (Kessler, 1872). Drastic reductions of areas were revealed for Ili marinka Schizothorax pseudoaksaiensis Herzenstein 1889, Balkhash marinka Schizothorax argentatus Kessler 1874, Severtsov’s loach Triplophysa sewerzowii (G.Nikolskii, 1938), Seven River’s minnow Phoxinus brachyurus Berg 1912, Balkhsh minnow Rhynchocypris poljakowii Kessler 1879, and Balkhash perch Perca schrenkii Kessler 1874. Marinkas, osmans and perch often become victims of overfishing and poaching of local people. In that region water resources usually are used by wasteful way and loaded with pollutants. Many indigenous fish species are able to bear relatively high level of environment pollution. Hence, the main threats for indigenous fishes are introductions of trout and sander, habitats lose and unstable hydrological regimen.
Acknowledgements
This investigation was supported by Committee of Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (grant No 1380/ GF 4).
Keywords:
Indigenous fish,
conservation,
Balkhash basin,
alien,
introduction
Conference:
XV European Congress of Ichthyology, Porto, Portugal, 7 Sep - 11 Sep, 2015.
Presentation Type:
Oral Presentation
Topic:
Ecology, Conservation and Invasive Species
Citation:
Mamilov
NS,
Mitrofanov
IV,
Balabieva
GK,
Khabibullin
FK,
Mamilov
AS and
Ibragimova
NA
(2015). Indigenous fish species in the modern ichthyofauna of the Balkhash basin.
Front. Mar. Sci.
Conference Abstract:
XV European Congress of Ichthyology.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fmars.2015.03.00043
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Received:
08 Nov 2015;
Published Online:
09 Nov 2015.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Nadir S Mamilov, Science Research Institute of Problems in Biology nd Biotechnology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Zoology, Almaty, 050038, Kazakhstan, mamilov@gmail.com