Freshwater Ornamental Fish Diversity of Tamil Nadu

Freshwater bodies of Tamil Nadu are endowed with diverse ornamental fish fauna comprises of 156 species (including three subspecies) belonging to 68 generas, 27 families and eight orders. Of these, 131 species are endemic to Indian sub-continent, 14 species are endemic to Tamil Nadu and 11 are exotic species. The conservation status of ornamental fish shows that two species belongs to critically endangered category, 16 species endangered, seven species vulnerable, three species near threatened, 102 species least concern, five species data deficient and 21 species have not been evaluated against IUCN criteria. Captive breeding and massive seed ranching are necessary for restoration and replenishment of threatened ornamental fishes, as 16.0 % of ornamental fishes facing the threat.