Biodiversity of Fishes in Arunachal Himalaya: Systematics, Classification, and Taxonomic Identification

Biodiversity of Fishes in Arunachal Himalaya: Systematics, Classification, and Taxonomic Identification provides a detailed piscatorial resource of the fish species living in the rich mountain waterbodies of the eastern Himalayan region. It presents the latest classifications and updated taxa of fish dwelling in high-altitude cold waters, mid-altitude cold and warm waters, and warm waters in the low altitude foothill regions of the Arunachal Himalaya. The book includes the scientific and vernacular names of more than 200 fish species, as well as coloration, distributional and conservational status. It addresses increasing threats to the endemic fishes of this region, including habitat shrinkage, habitat destruction, and more.

This book will be a valuable resource for biodiversity and conservation researchers, especially those specializing in ichthyo-faunal diversity. Fishery researchers and students will also find the information presented on taxonomic and classification very useful to their initiatives.

Dr. Achom Darshan has been working in the field of freshwater fish taxonomy for the last 14 years after completion of his Master degree in Zoology with special paper on fish and fisheries. He obtained the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Science from Manipur University, Canchipur for his thesis entitled “Phylogeny of the Siluroid fishes of Manipur” under direct supervision of Prof. W. Vishwanath. Dr. Darshan has currently been pursuing the postdoctoral research as a Research Associate in the “Center with Potential for Excellence in Biodiversity” (sponsored by UGC, New Delhi), Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar since 2013. Previously, he was also engaged as Postdoctoral Research Associateship sponsored by DBT, New Delhi under the ICAR-Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research, Bhimtal in 2009 and his assignment was continued till 2012 with Intellectual Technology Management Unit of the same Directorate. By his deep involvement and long research experience, Dr. Darshan has discovered more than 10 new freshwater fishes from Northeast India and has also published more than 25 research articles in reputed National & International journals in his own credit.

Dr. Santosh Kumar Abujam obtained Master’s degree in Life Sciences (Zoology) with special paper on Fish & Fisheries in 2005 from Dibrugarh University, Assam. He was awarded degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Science by the Dibrugarh University in the year of 2011 for his research on the topic entitled “Studies on the ecology, biology and rearing feasibility of spiny eel Macrognathus aral and Macrognathus pancalus from upper Assam” under direct supervision of Prof. S. P. Biswas. Dr. Abujam has gathered long experience in diverse areas of fisheries research through several pre-doctoral and postdoctoral assignments respectively as a Project Fellow in a project of ICAR-NBFGR Lucknow; Junior Research Fellow in a project of MoEF, New Delhi; Research Associate in a project of DBT, New Delhi under the Department of Life Sciences, Dibrugarh University, Assam. Presently, he has been pursuing Postdoctoral Research in a DBT sponsored Project as a Research Associate under the Department of Zoology, Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar. By his deep involvement in the subject, Dr. Abujam has published more than 50 research articles in the journals of National & International importance and 6 articles in Book chapter/Proceedings.

Prof. Debangshu Narayan Das of the Department of Zoology, Rajiv Gandhi University (formerly Arunachal University) has made significant contribution in the field of mountain fisheries, especially in areas such as taxonomy, reproductive biology and the artificial propagation of hill stream food and ornamental fishes of Arunachal Pradesh since his joining here in the year of 1998. Prof. Das has well organized fisheries research Unit and are involved in discovery of new species, delineation of aquatic ecology of hill stream as well as development of culture based fisheries in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. So far, 10 new species with new nomenclature to the world record have been discovered by the Unit. In addition, he has successfully supervised the works of 12 Ph.D. awardees from the University and currently two Postdoctoral Research associates (RA) and 08 research scholars have been working for research and development in various aspects of eastern Himalaya mountain fisheries. Prof. Das also successfully completed various research projects under the funding of DBT New Delhi, UGC New Delhi and collaborative programs with ICAR, New Delhi along with some institutional mega projects (sponsored by UGC New Delhi) on CPEB I & II. He published more than 115 research articles in reputed international and national journals, 04 co-authored books, numbers of book chapters and more than 35 popular articles in different languages in his own credit.