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{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Tor malabaricus 32065626 (cropped).jpg
| image_caption = ''Tor malabaricus'' in [[Karnataka]], India
| status = EN
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=iucn>Raghavan, R. & Ali, A. 2011. Tor malabaricus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011: e.T172457A6895822. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T172457A6895822.en.</ref>
| taxon = Tor malabaricus
| authority = [[Thomas C. Jerdon|Jerdon]], 1849
}}

'''''Tor malabaricus''''', the '''Malabar mahseer''', is a fish, a species of [[mahseer]] native to southwestern [[India]].

==Taxonomy==
This mahseer possesses many typical [[Cyprinidae]] features, with a slim, torpedo-shaped body, plus large head and scales, and four barbels at the corners of the mouth. In the original description, Jerdon <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kRoYAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA302|title=Madras Journal of Literature and Science|date=August 12, 1849|publisher=Vepery mission Press.|via=Google Books}}</ref> says: "Head to whole body as 1:4; height 3 1/2 times in its length... 23 scales along its body." as among the identification characteristics.<br />
Tor malabaricus may be confused with juvenile [[Tor remadevii]], but the distributions should be very different, with Tor remadevii only to be found within the basin of the eastwards-flowing [[Cauvery River]].

There have been several recent papers on the genetics of Tor malabaricus and other mahseer species of India.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Complete-mitogenome-analysis-of-endangered-Malabar-Chandhini-Arjunan/09c815f00519a01dcd596a3595f51a6bd2cef51e|title=Complete mitogenome analysis of endangered Malabar mahseer (Tor malabaricus)|first1=V. J. Rejish|last1=Kumar|first2=Dylan R.|last2=Pillai|first3=R.|last3=Raghavan|first4=Palakkaparambil Hamsa Anvar|last4=Ali|first5=V. M.|last5=Arjunan|first6=Shaik|last6=Chandhini|journal=Conservation Genetics Resources|year=2019|volume=11|issue=2|pages=185–189|doi=10.1007/s12686-018-0997-0|bibcode=2019ConGR..11..185C |s2cid=33276077}}</ref><ref name=Pavan-Kumar2019>{{Cite web|url=https://www.was.org/meetings/mobile/Paper.aspx?id=153761&src=P|title = World Aquaculture Society | Meeting Abstract |MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY OF SELECTED MAHSEER SPECIES USING COMPLETE MITOCHONDRIAL GENOME}}</ref> These papers may help in future identification, although comparisons between Tor malabaricus and [[Tor khudree]] should be viewed carefully as despite Pavan-Kumar et al. reporting that "Individuals of Tor putitora, Tor khudree, Tor tor, Tor mahanadicus and Tor malabaricus were collected from respective type locations <ref name=Pavan-Kumar2019 />", it is known that Tor khudree is no longer to be found at the type locality.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Mahseer (Tor spp.) fishes of the world: status, challenges and opportunities for conservation|first1=Adrian C.|last1=Pinder|first2=J. Robert|last2=Britton|first3=Andrew J.|last3=Harrison|first4=Prakash|last4=Nautiyal|first5=Shannon D.|last5=Bower|first6=Steven J.|last6=Cooke|first7=Steve|last7=Lockett|first8=Mark|last8=Everard|first9=Unmesh|last9=Katwate|first10=K.|last10=Ranjeet|first11=Sam|last11=Walton|first12=Andy J.|last12=Danylchuk|first13=Neelesh|last13=Dahanukar|first14=Rajeev|last14=Raghavan|date=June 1, 2019|journal=Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries|volume=29|issue=2|pages=417–452|doi=10.1007/s11160-019-09566-y|bibcode=2019RFBF...29..417P |doi-access=free|url=https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1325877/FULLTEXT01}}</ref> Genetic comparisons between ''T. malabaricus'' and ''T. khudree'' have confirmed that the two are distinct species.<ref>Silas, E. G., Gopalakrishnan, A., John, L., and Shaji, C. P.. 2005. [https://eprints.cmfri.org.in/192/1/IJF_2005_E%20G%20Silas.pdf.pdf Genetic identity of ''Tor malabaricus '' (Jerdon) (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) as revealed by RAPD markers.] Indian journal of fish. 52(2): 125–140.</ref>

==Distribution==
This mahseer is confined to the west-flowing rivers and streams of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu <ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.earth-syst-sci-data.net/10/1735/2018/essd-10-1735-2018.pdf |journal=Earth Syst. Sci. Data|volume=10|pages=1735–1752|date=2018|title=Freshwater fish fauna of rivers of the southern Western Ghats, India|author1=Anbu Aravazhi Arunkumar|author2=Arunachalam Manimekalan|issue=3 |doi=10.5194/essd-10-1735-2018 |bibcode=2018ESSD...10.1735A |s2cid=203434934 |access-date=14 March 2022 |doi-access=free }}</ref> and Kerala.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284166826|title=A checklist of fishes of Kerala, India|website=ResearchGate.net}}</ref>

==Ecology==
It may be expected that Tor malabaricus has similarities with all other [[mahseer]] species, being [[omnivore|omnivorous]], with a diet that likely includes aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, fruit and vegetation, small amphibians and other fish. It would seem probable that adult fish access headwaters for spawning during high water conditions, although as it inhabits the faster, shorter rivers draining westwards along the [[Western Ghats]], migrations would likely be shorter than other species.

==Conservation==
This species is currently assigned as Endangered by the [[IUCN]]. The major constraining factor in any conservation strategy is the relative lack of understanding of the distribution and ecology of the species and how it interacts with other local fish species within the same habitat.

As with other mahseer species, the main threats are: loss of habitat due to urbanisation, encroachment on flood plains, dam building, sand extraction and pollution. Destructive fishing methods like dynamite, poisoning and electricity are in common use throughout South and Southeast Asia, and may be expected to be a major threat to the sustainability of populations.<br />
In many of the rivers that have, historically, held Tor malabaricus, an emerging threat is deliberate stocking of the mahseer species from Maharastra, Tor khudree.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/3/y3994e/y3994e0p.htm|title=Mahseer breeding and conservation and possibilities of commercial culture. The Indian experience. (by Ogale, S.N.)|website=www.fao.org}}</ref> The spread of this fish poses problems for native stocks and it must be considered an invasive species.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Raghavan|first1=R.|last2=Ali|first2=A.|last3=Dahanukar|first3=N.|last4=Rosser|first4=A.|year=2011|title=Is the Deccan Mahseer, Tor khudree (Sykes, 1839)(Pisces: Cyprinidae) fishery in the Western Ghats Hotspot sustainable? A participatory approach to stock assessment|journal=Fisheries Research|volume=110|issue=1|pages=29–38|url=https://indiabiodiversity.org/biodiv/content/projects/project-302976b2-3d05-43ab-934f-f6d8d83a3411/47.pdf|doi=10.1016/j.fishres.2011.03.008 |bibcode=2011FishR.110...29R }}</ref>

It seems likely that the fish deliberately poisoned in a temple pool in Shishla, Karnataka in 1996 would have been Tor malabaricus.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/2013/oct/06/the-sacred-fish-tales-of-shishila-523411.html|title=The sacred fish tales of Shishila|website=The New Indian Express}}</ref> Unfortunately, these fish were replaced with Tor khudree stocks from artificial breeding programmes, thus adding to the pressures on native stocks of fish.
Temple pools, while useful repositories of local stocks are also extremely vulnerable to diverse habitat pollution incidents.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.indiawaterportal.org/sites/indiawaterportal.org/files/Temple_Fish_Sanctuaries__Last_bastions_of_native_fish_and_pristine_river_stretches_-_Parineeta_Dandekar.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2019-08-09 |archive-date=2011-09-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110923202437/http://www.indiawaterportal.org/sites/indiawaterportal.org/files/Temple_Fish_Sanctuaries__Last_bastions_of_native_fish_and_pristine_river_stretches_-_Parineeta_Dandekar.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.mahseertrust.org/ Mahseer Trust | Rivers - Fish - People | Conservation]
{{Taxonbar|from=Q6397555}}

[[Category:Tor (fish)|malabaricus]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Thomas C. Jerdon]]
[[Category:Fish described in 1849]]

Tor malabaricus - Revision history

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