Freshwater Fish Fauna in Different Water Bodies of District Tank, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Muhammad Rizwan; Muhammad Shehzad; Muhammad Shoaib Alam; Tehreem Fatima; Khateeb Khan; Abdul Majid; Shaukat Ali; Aisha Fatima

doi:10.17582/journal.pjz/20241125035335

Research Article · Volume 58, Issue 3, 8 April 2026 · Open Access

Freshwater Fish Fauna in Different Water Bodies of District Tank, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

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Affiliations & Notes ⌄

¹Department of Zoology, University of Agriculture, D.I. Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 2Department of Zoology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 3Department of Biological Sciences, Gomal University, D.I. Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 4College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin150040, China * Corresponding author: muhammadshehzad962@gmail.com

Article Info ⌄

Journal:: Pakistan Journal of Zoology
DOI:: 10.17582/journal.pjz/20241125035335
Published:: 8 April 2026

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From the article

Twenty fish species distributed over six families were documented in different water bodies of the district Tank, KPK (Table I).
Rivers (15 individuals) and wetland ponds have higher density of fish, followed by lowlands and ditches.
Salmophasia bacaila (Chela) was collected and observed from the lowland, upland streams, ditches, and rivers.
It is a freshwater fish found in shallow streams and standing water.

Selected from the article's own text.

Abstract

This study focused on the diversity and insightful analysis of fish fauna in various water bodies in the Tank district, KPK province. The study was conducted from December 2023 to June 2024 at 11 study sites with five water body types. The water bodies were rivers, ditches, lowland streams, upland streams, and wetland ponds. The fish was collected using cast nets, drag nets and hand-picking. The study documented 20 fish species distributed over 16 genera and six families. The results highlight the abundance of fish in wetland ponds and rivers, which are essential for ecosystem health and local fisheries. They reflect the ecological roles of these habitats in supporting fish populations. The findings of this research can help enhance local management policies to conserve fish diversity in KPK province and expand the current knowledge of Pakistan’s ichthyofauna, which could be used to prepare a species atlas.

Introduction

Rivers, streams, estuaries, wetland ponds, and lakes are abundant in Pakistan . It constitutes a transitional zone attributed to the significantinfluence and variation in fish fauna . Pakistan has 9.7% wetland area out of nearly 26% coastal and 74% freshwater wetlands . It provides habitat to diverse fauna and flora of the freshwater ecosystem. Over the years, fish diversity has declined, and even a few species have been lost; some are endangered and threatened by the freshwater ecosystems of India and Pakistan .

Data on the checklist and the diversity of fish fauna across the country are available. In Pakistan, the earliest work on the fish fauna was done by Ahmad (1963), who described the fauna of West Pakistan. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Butt (1986) reported 94 species of fish from the whole province of KPK. Hussain and Shah (1960) identified six species from the river Swat. Nisar (1998) reported 23 species of the fish from Tanda Dam, Kohat. Shahjehan and Khan (2000) reported 26 fishes belonging to 8 families from Baran Dam, Bannu. Jan et al. (2025) studied the rainbow trout breeding success and fecundity in Jaghour trout hatchery, Chitral. Many ichthyologists have documented the fish diversity of the river Indus and its tributaries (Khan et al., 2011). Knowing species spatial distribution and area diversity is essential for future sustainability and conservation. Therefore, the proposed research was conducted for the first time in different water bodies in the district of Tank, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The findings of this research can help local management policies to conserve fish diversity and enhance existing knowledge of the country’s ichthyofauna.

Materials and methods

The study was conducted in the district of Tank, KP. The district has a total area of 1,679 km2 and an altitude of 265m. It is a lowland area with mountains on the southern side. The monsoon rains averaged around 4.5 inches in July and August and almost zero in June or September . High temperatures are recorded in June and July (35-45°C). The coldest months are December, January, and February (5-8 °C) ; . It has a large number of wetlands. Most of the water comes from streams, and some from Gomal Zam Dam. The canal system also comes from the Gomal Zam Dam. The streams have shallow water, but certain places are benthic .

A total of 11 study sites were sampled for species collection. All the study sites were in low-elevation areas (below 280 m). It included streams (lowland streams (two sites) and upland streams (one site)), rivers (two sites), ditches (three sites), and wetland ponds (three sites). Streams were wadeable water bodies with a width of not more than 10 m, rivers were not wadeable with a width of more than 10 m, and ditches were artificial, narrow channels dug. Spring-fed, floodplain ponds and cut-off channels were indicated as wetland ponds .

Twenty-two field surveys were carried out from December 2023 to June 2024. The fish samples were collected using hand-picking, cast, and drag nets. Hand-picking, a method commonly used for capturing fish in shallow waters, involves four to ten people sitting in a way that makes it impossible for fish to escape. Slowly, the people move their hands in the water, and whenever fish touch their hands, they directly grip and capture them. This traditional method is deeply rooted in the local culture. Cast net and dragnet were used more than 15 times in each study site of both wadeable and non-wadeable water bodies.

After collections, all fishes were possibly identified at the species level and released directly, while some were collected for preservation. The collected samples were preserved in a 10% formalin solution and stored in an airtight jar. Small specimens (less than 10 cm) were preserved directly in a formalin solution, whereas larger specimens were preserved after the formalin was injected into the belly . The specimens were identified using the keys of Mirza and Sandu (2007) and Mirza and Sharif (1982). The geographical coordination of the study sites was also recorded using GPS (Offline maps, travel guides, and navigation). The conservation status of each species was determined from the IUCN Red List (www.iucnredlist.org).

Results and discussion

Twenty fish species distributed over six families were documented in different water bodies of the district Tank, KPK (Table I). The upland stream shows lower diversity range. Rivers (15 individuals) and wetland ponds have higher density of fish, followed by lowlands and ditches. Upland streams were the least abundant water bodies. They reflect the ecological roles of these habitats in supporting fish populations. For biodiversity conservation, rivers, lowland streams, and wetland ponds are emphasised as these habitats have abundant fish species. However, the overall diversity is relatively stable across different water bodies.

Salmophasia bacaila (Chela) was collected and observed from the lowland, upland streams, ditches, and rivers. It is abundantly present in the study area. It is a small indigenous freshwater cyprinid throughout the Indian subcontinent, including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Afghanistan . Saeed et al. (2013) reported this species from River Barandu District, Buner KPK. It is also reported from Jinnah Barrage at the Indus River . Botia birdi (Birdi loach) was collected from the lowland stream in the study area. It is mainly found in shallow water. Previously, it was recorded from the Indus River at Taunsa Barrage , in River Ravi (Pervaiz et al., 2018) and in the Suleman mountain range, Dera Ghazi Khan Region .

Ompok pabda (Pallu) was collected from benthic water. The species were observed from the study area’s lowland, upland, and ditches. Previously, it was recorded in the Kabul River at Nowshera, KPK. Tanda Dam of Kohat district and freshwater of District Malakand, KPK . Cirrhinus reba (reba) is found in deeper freshwater and is less common in the study area; it is only found in lowland streams and wetland ponds. These fish were previously reported from the Panjkora River, Sheringal, KPK by Muhammad et al. (2014). Garra gotyla (Pathar Chat) was observed in shallow freshwater, particularly in lowland, upland, and wetland ponds. Ishaq et al. (2014) collected this species from River Swat. It was also reported in the round stream and Konhaye stream, a Rivsser Panjkora tributary, in Lower Dir, KPK and reported this species from the water bodies of Hazara Division (Akhtar et al., 2014).

Mastacembelus armatus (Machimara) is distributed in lowland streams, ditches, and wetland ponds in the study area. It is a freshwater fish found in shallow streams and standing water. Previously, it was collected from the Rasul Barrage, Punjab and Dera Ghazi Khan Region , recorded in Chashma Barrage and the Indus River ; Muhammad et al., 2017). Channa punctata (Sole) is less abundant in the study area and found in lowland streams, ditches, and wetland ponds. It is mainly found in

Table I. Fish species and number documented from water-bodies in district Tank, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

S. No.	Species	Conservation status	Water bodies
S. No.	Species	Conservation status	Lowland stream	Upland stream	Rivers	Ditches	Wetland ponds
Order: Cypriniforms, Family: Cyprinidae
1	Garra gotyla	LC	10	2	-	-	5
2	Puntius chola	LC	5	2	4	10	15
3	Hypophthalmichthys molitrix	NT	-	-	3	-	-
4	Labeo bata	LC	2	-	-	2	1
5	Barilius vagra	LC	6	5	10	-	15
6	Puntius sophore	LC	3	-	-	8	5
7	Barilius pakistanicus	NE	10	-	10	-	14
8	Cirrhinus mrigala	LC	-	-	2	-	-
9	Salmophasia bacaila	LC	8	4	-	5	15
10	Tor putitora	EN	-	-	15	-	-
11	Cyprinus carpio	VU	-	-	6	-	5
12	Labeo rohita	LC	5	4	8	10	8
Order: Cypriniformes Family: Botiidae
13	Botia birdi	NE	5
Order: Channiformes, Family: Channidae
14	Channa punctata	LC	4	-		10	4
Order: Mastacembeliformes, Family: Mastacembelidae-
15	Mastacembelus armatus	LC	4	1		3	2
Order: Siluriformes, Family: Bagridae
16	Cirrhinus reba	LC	1	-	-	-	2
17	Mystus bleekeri	LC	3	-	-	2	-
18	Mystus cavasius	LC	2	-	-	-	-
Order: Siluriformes, Family: Siluridae
19	Ompok pabda	NT	2	1	-	4	-
20	Wallago attu	NT	5	2	-	2	-

LC, least concern; NT, near threatened; NE, not evaluated; VU, vulnerable; EN, endangered.

fresh or stagnant water with significant vegetation. It was reported in the Barandu District Buner, KPK , River Swat , Kabul River, Nowshera , and Lower Dir . Puntius chola (Chola punti) was abundantly found in all water bodies in the study area. The species was previously recorded in District Malakand , the Indus River at Taunsa Barrage , the Downstream Indus River, Sindh , and Southern Punjab . Hypophthalmicthys molitrix (Silver carp) was collected from rivers. It is found in both shallow and deeper water. Previously, it was reported in Gomal Zam Dam, South Waziristan agency (Hameed et al., 2015), Panjnad Canal, Abbasia Canal, and Abu Dhabi Canal at Panjnad Headworks Bahawalpur , and River Kabul, Nowshera, KPK .

Barilius vagra (Pepal) is the most abundant fish species in the study area and is found in lowland streams, upland streams, ditches, and wetland ponds. It is found in shallow water. Mirza and Sandhu (2007) recorded this species from the River Ravi in Punjab. It was also reported from the Kabul River , Rhound Stream District Lower Dir , Hazara division of KPK and River Swat (Saeed et al., 2013). Labeo bata (Bata/Rahu minnow/Seriyo) were collected in the benthic zone of lowland streams, ditches, and wetland ponds. Its number was less common. Mirza (2003) reported this species from the Downstream Indus River, Sindh. Barilius pakistanicus (Pakistani Chalwa) is abundant in the study area and found in lowland streams, rivers, and wetland ponds. It was found in shallow water, especially in slow-moving water. Previously, it was reported from Panjkora River, Sheringal , River Swat , and River Kabul . Puntius sophore (Pothi) was recorded from the lowland stream, ditches, and wetland ponds in the district Tank. It was also recorded from Lower Dir KPK (Ullah, 2013), Hazara Division and river Kabul .

Cirrhinus mrigala (Mori) was observed and collected from the river water across the study area. Previously, it was reported from Bahawalpur and Tanda Dam of Kohat district . Labeo rohita (Rohu) was collected from all five types of water bodies. Altaf et al. (2015) recorded Labeo rohita from the Chashma Barrage. Sheikh et al. (2017) and Rehman et al. (2016) also recorded in Bahawalpur and Dargai Pal Dam South Waziristan Agency. Tor putitora (Masheer) was rare in the study area and only in the river water body type. It was observed in benthic water. Hameed et al. (2016) reported this species from Gomal Zam dam, South Waziristan Agency, Usman et al. (2018) from River Harrow Hazara Division; and Ullah and Hasan (2013) from water bodies of Panjkora at District Dir Upper. Mystus bleekeri (Bleeker’s fish) were collected from deeper water and were less common in the study area, only found in lowland streams and ditches. It was previously recorded from the river Kabul at Nowshera , Dera Ghazi Khan Canal , Indus River at Taunsa Barrage , and the River Jhelum, Pakistan . Mystus cavasius (Seengara) were documented only in lowland water canals and were less common. Muhammad et al. (2017) reported the fish from the Indus River at Taunsa Barrage in Punjab, also documented from the river Chenab and water bodies of Suleman mountain range . Wallago attu (Mallay) was collected from deeper water of lowland streams and ditches. It was recorded from the Panjnad Headworks in Bahawalpur , the river Jhelum , head of Qadirabad , the lower reach of the Indus River, Sindh province Section , and the Rasul Barrage, Punjab, Pakistan . Cyprinus carpio (Gulfam/common carp) was documented in deeper water and not abundantly present, only found in river and wetland ponds. Previously, it was recorded in Chashma Barrage by Ashraf et al. (2022), in Southern Punjab by Bibi et al. (2018), in Rasul Barrage, Punjab by Muhammad et al. (2019), and in River Panjkora Dir by Haseeb and Yousafzai (2023).

Declarations

Acknowledgment

We are very grateful to the University of Agriculture Dera Ismail Khan for providing assistance, equipment, and supplies. We are also thankful to the local people of the study area who helped during the whole period.

Generative AI and AI-assisted technology statement

The authors have declared that no generative AI or AI-assisted technologies were used to create this manuscript.

Statement of conflict of interest

The authors have declared no conflict of interest.

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Sarkar, U.K., Pathak, A.K., Sinha, R.K., Sivakumar, K., Pandian, A.K., Pandey, A., Dubey, V.K. and Lakra, W.S., 2012. Freshwater fish biodiversity in the River Ganga (India): changing pattern, threats and conservation perspectives. Rev. Fish Biol. Fisheries, 22: 251-272. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-011-9218-6[CrossRef]
Shahjehan, I.A. and Khan, H., 2000. Ichthyofauna of Baran Dam Bannu. Pakistan. J. Sci. Tech. Univ. Peshawar, 22: 39-43.
Shehzad, M., Ullah, F., Khan, S.N., Majid, A., Rais, M., Khan, M.A., Ahmad, T. and Khan, S., 2023. Squamate fauna of Southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Tank and Lakki Marwat Districts), Pakistan. Pakistan J. Zool., 57: 191-197.
Sheikh, M., Laghari, M.Y., Lashari, P.K., Khooharo, A.R. and Narejo, N.T., 2017. Current status of three major carps (Labeo rohita, Cirrhinus mrigala and Catla catla) in the downstream Indus River Sindh. Fish Aquacult. J., 8: 2.
Ullah, S. and Hasan, Z., 2013. The edible fishes of River Panjkora at District Dir Lower, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. PUTAJ - Humanities and Social Sciences or Peshawar University Teachers’ Association (PUTA) journal-(HSS).
Usman, K., Rehman, H.U., Pervaiz, K., Khan, H., Jawad, S.M., Shah, W. and Mehmood, A., 2018. Identification of fish fauna in River Harrow Hazara Division Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Int. J. Biosci., 12: 299-304.

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[61] Ullah, S. and Hasan, Z., 2013. The edible fishes of River Panjkora at District Dir Lower, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. PUTAJ - Humanities and Social Sciences or Peshawar University Teachers’ Association (PUTA) journal-(HSS).

[62] Usman, K., Rehman, H.U., Pervaiz, K., Khan, H., Jawad, S.M., Shah, W. and Mehmood, A., 2018. Identification of fish fauna in River Harrow Hazara Division Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Int. J. Biosci., 12: 299-304.