''Tor remadevii'', the orange-finned mahseer, also known as the hump-backed mahseer, is a critically endangered species of freshwater fish

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the Western Ghats of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is restricted to the

Kaveri The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri (hill), Karnataka, Brahmagiri range in th ...

river basin. It can be distinguished from other

mahseer Mahseer is the common name used for the genera '' Tor'', ''Neolissochilus'', '' Naziritor'' and ''Parator'' in the family Cyprinidae (carps). The name is, however, more often restricted to members of the genus ''Tor''.Sen TK, Jayaram KC, 1982. Th ...

from the prominent hump on its back, and its bright orange

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...

. It is considered a high-quality

game fish Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish pursued by recreational anglers, and can be freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, or released after capture. Some game fish are also targeted commercial ...

, and has been proclaimed by anglers as "the largest and hardest fighting freshwater fish in the world". The reason for the species' endangerment is the introduction of a non-native "blue-finned mahseer" (generally considered to be '' Tor khudree'', though the "blue-finned mahseer"'s classification is under scrutiny as it actually may be a different, undescribed species) to the Kaveri river basin. Also endangering this species is the heavy construction of

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

s along the Cauvery, as well as the use of

dynamite fishing Blast fishing, fish bombing, dynamite fishing or grenade fishing is a destructive fishing practice using explosives to stun or kill schools of fish for easy collection. This often illegal practice is extremely destructive to the surrounding eco ...

. These have led to a heavy crash in mahseer populations since 2004. Despite this endangered status, general lack of a formal scientific name has hampered efforts to protect species. However, a 2018 study found out that the orange-finned mahseer was in fact conspecific with ''Tor remadevii'', a little-known species identified in 2007 based on a single juvenile individual from the

Pambar River Pambar is the name of three rivers in South India: * Pambar River (Northern Tamil Nadu) * Pambar River (Southern Tamil Nadu) * Pambar River (Kerala) {{Disambiguation ...

. This has allowed the species to finally gain a scientific name, which may help conservation efforts.

Gallery

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5713492 Cyprinidae Cyprinid fish of Asia Freshwater fish of India Endemic fauna of the Western Ghats Taxa named by B. Madhusoodana Kurup Taxa named by Kizhakke Veetil Radhakrishnan Fish described in 2007