Thrupthi G.N. and Devi Prasad A.G.
Abstract
The study was carried out to document the fish diversity in the lakes of Somwarapete taluk of Kodagu district, Karnataka. The study was carried out from June 2021- May 2022. Three Lakes namely, Tavare kere, Dodda kere and Honnamanna kere was selected for the study. The fishes were collected with the help of local fishermen and identified with the help of standard reference material and internet sources. The diversity indices such as Shannon diversity index, Simpson diversity index and Pielouâs evenness index were calculated to understand the diversity and distribution of fish species. A total of 17 species, belonging to 13 genera, and 8 families were documented. On evaluating the endemism of the fishes, it was noted that 23% were endemic to Western Ghats, 59% were endemic to Indian Subcontinent, and 18% were exotic taxa. The study also showed the abundance of family Cyprinidae with 41% of taxa, followed by Channiadae and Claridae with 17 and 12% taxa respectively. Simpson diversity index varied from 0.83 (Honnamanna kere) to 0.9 (Tavare kere and Dodda kere ), indicating a high diversity and Pielouâs evenness with a value of 1 showed that the ecosystem is stable.