Check List 10(4): 822–828, 2014 © 2014 Check List and Authors Chec List ISSN 1809-127X (available at www.checklist.org.br) Journal of species lists and distribution PECIES S Reservoir and its catchment area, Perak, Malaysia OF An annotated checklist of fish fauna of Bukit Merah 1*, Md. Shah Amir Shah Ruddin 1, Hazrin Hashim Zarul 1, Mohammad Mohd ISTS L Syaiful 2, Md. Zain Khaironizam 1, Puteh Khaled 1 and Yusoff Hamzah 1 Zakeyuddin Mohd. Shafiq 1 Universiti Sains Malaysia, School of Biological Sciences, 11800 USM, Penang, Malaysia. 2 Pulau Banding Rainforest Research Center, Pulau Banding 33300 Gerik, Perak, Malaysia [email protected] * Corresponding author. E-mail: Abstract: The fish fauna was surveyed at Bukit Merah Reservoir of Perak (one of the oldest reservoir in Peninsular Malaysia) and its catchment areas. A total of 47 species from 19 families were recorded: 38 fish species were recorded from eight sampling stations located in selected tributaries (lotic zone), while another 25 fish species were recorded in the reservoir itself (lentic zone). Based on a combination of previously published checklists and the present survey, a total Oreochromisof 76 fish species niloticus were and recorded Clarias atgariepinus Bukit Merah Reservoir. Out of these species, 25 fish species from this survey were new records. Most of the new records were found in the catchment area of the river basin. The presence of two alien species, , should be noted as these species could affect the population of native species. DOI: 10.15560/10.4.822 Introduction Tweedie (1936), Herre and Myers (1937), Yap (1982), The freshwater ecosystems of Peninsular Malaysia can DoF (1993) and Arai et al. (2012) with the intention of Bukit Merah Reservoir (BMR). be divided into lentic and lotic water bodies (Mohsin and providing updated information on the fish biodiversity of Ambak 1983). Bukit Merah Reservoir (BMR), which was Materials and Methods built in 1902 and operated in 1906 is one of the oldest Study site man-made reservoirs in Peninsular Malaysia, and its water catchment is an example where these two types of water andbodies drainage can be found.canals Located in the innorthwestern the district of part Kerian, of Perakthese The Bukit Merah Reservoir is located in 05°01′35.42″ State.lentic Thereand lotic are twowater main bodies catchment form contiguousareas that are irrigation located N, 100°39′42.92″2. There are E, andtwo it main is formed rivers, by thenamely construction the Kurau of upstream of the reservoir, namely the Kurau and Merah aand dam Merah in the rivers middle that Kurau supply River. water Its tosurface the reservoir. area is about Four rivers (Figure 1). The catchment areas that are located in 40 km within the reservoir area (lentic zone) while eight sampling et al. stationssampling were stations selected (S1, inS2, the S3 catchment and S4) werearea (loticestablished zone) 2007).the eastern Water part from of thethe reservoirreservoir is provide channeled more out than through 80% in the upper reaches of the Merah (SMU), Ara (SAU), and twoof stream outlet networks canals, i.e. and Besar watershed and Selinsing land areas canals (Wipfli (Ismail Kurau (SKU) rivers, and in the lower reaches of the Merah (SMD), Ara (SAD), Kurau (SKD), Jelutong (SJD), and Jelai Irrigation and Drainage of Kerian (DID 2012), the main (SJL) rivers (Figure 1). All the descriptions and locations and Najib 2011; DID 2012). According to Department of Manikfunction River of BMR Project. is to Theprovide reservoir irrigation is also water recognized for double as Dataare described collection in Table 1. cropping to 24,000 Ha of paddy fields under the Kerian– Arowana, Scleropages formosus. a sanctuary for a commercially valuable fish, the Asian Intensive fish sampling was carried out twice a month at week two and week four from December 2012 There have been inventories of the fishes from the rangingto December from 2.52013. cm Fish to 13 in cm,the whilereservoir in the were rivers caught and reservoir since 1930s. Most of the available literature by multiple panel gill nets and their mesh sizes were focuses on fish inventories from Kurau River Asbasin reported to the BMR but thereet al. is(2007), lack information the upper and about lower fish streamsinventories are streams, a backpack electrofishing gear (Smith-Root thein tributaries most important within freshwaterthe catchment resources area. that support POW Electroshocker Model 12-B) and a cast net of 2 cm by Wipfli stretched-mesh, 2.5 m long with 2.5 m radius were used.et al. (1993).All fish caughtRepresentative were counted specimens and identified were euthanized to the species on an speciesthe biological checklist productivity together in and the speciespresent richnessstudy and of later the level by using standard taxonomic keys of Kottelat reservoir. Thus, this study provides an extensive fish ice slurry following the fieldwork standard procedure by will be compared to earlier surveys by de Beaufort (1933), IACUC, fixed in 10% formalin, preserved in 70% denatured 822 Shafiq et al. | Fish checklist of Bukit Merah Reservoir Table 1. General characteristics of sampling stations with coordinates in Bukit Merah Reservoir. APPROXIMATE STATION DESCRIPTION OF SITE SAMPLING LOCATION SMU this river are sand and gravel. 5°7′16″ N Steep river banks, relatively fast flowing water, partially shaded by fruit and bamboo trees. The main substrates for SAU 100°48′10.70″ E A river with low gradient river banks. A clear, shallow to moderate river depth, fast flowing water and partially shaded 5°5′25.5″ N by the riparian vegetation. The river is surrounded by rural areas. The main substrates for this river are sand, gravel 100°51′10.70″ E SKU and cobble. A moderate size hillstream river with low gradient river banks. It is located in hilly areas with fruit orchards nearby. 4°54′17.4″ N riparian vegetations such as Koompassia malaccensis. This river is relatively fast flowing with the main substrates are boulder and cobble. This river is partially shaded by SJL 100°49′59.9″ E 5°0′49.8″ N ThisA large is a hillstream small river river located with within moderate the Pondok gradient Tanjung river banks. Forest It Reserve. has very The fast river flowing is moderate water with in water substrate depth dominated with sand SMD 100°48′37.4″ E by sand. The grass is the main vegetation. 5°5′53.4″ N SAD 100°43′13.20″ E as a substrate. 5°0′38.5″ N The river has been altered to become steep of river banks, deep and fast flowing water This water surface is exposed SKD 100°43′51.60″ E directly to sunlight. The main substrate is sand and only grass is found to be the main vegetation. 5°0′42.6″ N The river has been altered to become wide, moderate flowing water and near to SAD. Moderate river banks and the SJD 100°43′56.40″ E mainSimilar substrates to SMD. are sand and gravel. The SAD and SKD are adjacent to the railway. 5°4′17.2″ N S1 100°43′11.70″ E This station is located at the inlet of Kurau River Basin. 5°1′56.40″ N S2 100°40′4.3″ E Cabomba sp. 4°59′48.00″ N This station is located near the Orang Utan Island. There are many submerged vegetation such as S3 100°41′14.5″ E This station is near the intake of the reservoir. 5°1′4.20″ N 100°39′20.30″ E This station is located near the spillway of the reservoir. 5°1′52.1″ N S4 100°39′12.30″ E Figure 1. Locations of sampling stations in Bukit Merah Reservoir and its catchment areas, Perak, Malaysia. 823 Shafiq et al. | Fish checklist of Bukit Merah Reservoir Discussion and housed in the Museum of Zoology of the School of Biologicalethanol for Sciences, long-term Universiti storage, Sains given Malaysia. a catalogue number The checklist is arranged in systematic order following The total number of fish species from the present study had higher than the previous studies (47 fishet al.species) Chongbut lower et al. than the total number of species recorded in Nelson (2006). Under the material examined, the following the State of Perak (128 fish species) (Yusoff 2006; data were presented: Universiti Sains Malaysia Fish 2010). Among all fish species, cyprinid fishes inCollection millimeters acronym (mm) (USMFC) or range withof standard its catalogue length, number, locality are the most dominant family in both lentic and lotic number of specimens examined, and standard length (SL) areas. Many species belonging to this family are naturally found throughout tropical etand al. subtropical of southern (1933),and collector. Tweedie The (1936),fish data Herre from theand current Myers studies(1937), were Yap and southeastern Asia (Zakaria-Ismail 1994; Nguyen (1982),compared DoF to and(1993) combined and Arai with et studiesal. (2012) from to de provide Beaufort a and De Silva 2006; Chong 2010). Twenty-two fish ofspecies the previously recorded reported from previous species surveys in our surveys, were frequently including the studied locality. theencountered type locality in our of surveys, two species but we didfrom not this encounter reservoir, 29 more comprehensive view of the fish species diversity of Lepidocephalichthys furcatus and Macrognathus perakensis Results (de Beaufort 1933; Herre and Myers 1937). recordedA total inof the47 speciesrivers andfrom streams19 families of thewere catchment recorded In Ara River, the heterogeneous habitat in the areaduring (lotic the zone) study while period. 25 species Thirty-eight were collectedspecies inwere the SAD.upper Generally, reaches ofspecies this riverrichness (SAU) in Malaysiancontributes rivers to the is correlatedspecies richness with waterinstead depth of homogeneous and velocity habitat (Mendelson in the an ascending trend from upstream to downstream in the rivers,reservoir especially (lentic inzone).