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Labeo fisheri

Status_ne_offStatus_dd_offStatus_lc_offStatus_nt_offStatus_vu_offStatus_en_onStatus_cr_offStatus_ew_offStatus_ex_off
 

Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
ANIMALIA CHORDATA ACTINOPTERYGII CYPRINIFORMES CYPRINIDAE

Scientific Name: Labeo fisheri
Species Authority: Jordan & Starks, 1917
Common Name/s:
English – Green Labeo, Mountain Labeo
Synonym/s:
Labeo gadeya Deraniyagala, 1929
Morulius gadeya (Deraniyagala, 1929)

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria: Endangered   B1ab(iii)   ver 3.1
Year Assessed: 2009
Assessor/s: Devi, R. & Boguskaya, N.
Reviewer/s: Collen, B., Darwall, W., Ram, M. & Smith, K. (SRLI Freshwater Fish Evaluation Workshop)
Justification:
L. fisheri has been assessed as Endangered due to its restricted range (Extent of Occurrence less than 5,000km²), continuing decline in habitat quality, and the fact the species is considered to be found in less than five locations.

There are reports that L. fisheri has suffered from declines (unknown levels) and may be extinct, however further research is required to confirm this.
History:
1996 – Endangered
1994 – Endangered (Groombridge 1994)
1990 – Endangered (IUCN 1990)
1988 – Endangered (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1988)
1986 – Endangered (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1986)

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description: This species is found only in the mid to upper reaches of the Mahaveli River basin, Sri Lanka, with an estimated Extent of Occurrence of 4,385 km².
Countries:
Native:
Sri Lanka
Range Map:
(click map to view full version)
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Population [top]

Population: It has been reported that L. fisheri may already be extinct, as a result of habitat loss following the Mahaveli River Development Project (Wikramanayake 1990), see Major Threats.
Population Trend: Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology: L. fisheri is a benthopelagic species that only inhabits deep, fast-flowing sections of the river. It has not been recorded from unshaded, silty or turbid waters. It moves fast through the water, staying close to the bottom. Juveniles have been observed picking algae off submerged rocks. It occurs sympatrically with (and possibly mistaken for) Puntius sp. 'martenstyn' throughout its known range.
Systems: Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s): There are a number of threats to the habitat of L. fisheri. The Accelerated Mahaweli Development Programme, initiated in 1979, included developing the Mahaweli River to provide irrigation facilities for dry zone agriculture and generate hydro-electric power, by constructing four new dams (Asian Development Bank 2006).  In addition, the rainforests of Sri Lanka are rapidly being depleted by agriculture, mining, logging and urbanization. Between 1956 and 1980, total forest cover had been reduced from 44 to 25 percent. One result of this deforestation is stream degradation due to increased erosion, siltation, extreme flow fluctuations and decreased shade cover (Wikramanayake 1990).

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions: Surveys to confirm the suspected extinction of L. fisheri (Wikramanayake, 1990) are recommended.

Bibliography [top]

Anon. 1999. Fish collection database of the Natural History Museum (London). Available at: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/jdsml/research-curation/research/projects/fish/index.dsml.

Asian Development Bank. 2006. Background of Mahaweli River Development Project. Available at: http://www.adb.org/Water/narbo/2006/mahaweli/session-material.pdf. (Accessed: 25th January).

Baillie, J. and Groombridge, B. (comps and eds). 1996. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

Baillie, J. and Groombridge, B. (editors and compilers). 1996. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

Froese, R and Pauly, D. 2006. FishBase.

Gibbons, S. 1999. Collect fish on stamps. Stanley Gibbons Ltd., London and Ringwood.

Groombridge, B. (ed.). 1994. 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

Hanel, L. and Novák, J. 2002. České názvy zivočichů V. Ryby a ryboviti obratlovci (Pisces) 3., maloústí (Gonorhynchiformes) - máloostní (Cypriniformes). Národní muzeum (zoologické oddělení), Praha.

Hilton-Taylor, C. 2000. 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, U.K.

IUCN. 1990. 1990 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

IUCN. 2009. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2009.2). Available at: www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 3 November 2009).

Pethiyagoda, R. 1991. Freshwater fishes of Sri Lanka. The Wildlife Heritage Trust of Sri Lanka, Colombo.

Pethiyagoda, R. 1994. Threats to the indigenous freshwater fishes of Sri Lanka and remarks on their conservation. Hydrobiologia 285: 189-201.

Talwar, P.K. and Jhingran, A.G. 1991. Inland Fishes of India and Adjacent Countries. A.A. Balkema/Rotterdam.

Varjo, M., L. Koli and H. Dahlström. 2004. Kalannimiluettelo (versio 10/03). Suomen Biologian Seura Vanamo Ry.

Wikramanayake, E.D. 1990. Conservation of endemic rain forest fishes of Sri Lanka: results of a translocation experiment. Conservation Biology 4(1): 32 - 37.

Wu, H.L., Shao, K.T. and Lai, C.F. 1999. Latin-Chinese dictionary of fishes names. The Sueichan Press, Taiwan.
Citation: Devi, R. & Boguskaya, N. 2009. Labeo fisheri. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 February 2012.
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