Mahseer (Tor potitura) – habitat, breeding, feeding, and threats

What is Binomial Classification of Mahseer

Binomial Classification

Kingdom              Animalia

Phylum                Chordata

Class                 Actinopterygii

Order                 Cypriniformes

Family                 Cyprinidae

Genus                      Tor

Specie                 T. potitura

Mahseer is fresh water game fish it is a national fish of Pakistan, Mahseer is belong to the genus Tor are substantialto  cyprinidy  fishes which are native to Asia with a whose circulation start from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, China, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia

Habitat

Mahseer is found in freshwater bodies like lakes ponds and rivers. In Pakistan, it is found in the sub-Himalayan river. It lives at 6°C temperature

Breeding

Mahseer breeding season starts from July to September, it is considered the peak period of breeding for Mahseer. This species lay a fertilized egg and these eggs are hatched from 60-80 hours at 24 to 28°C temperature. Early hatchlings are golden yellow and pass through a semi-quiescent stage during which they remain huddled up in corners and cervices with their heads tucked away from light, thereby uncovering for overwhelming predation in nature for around six days. The most basic time of mahseer’s initial life cycle.

 Feeding

Basically, mahseer is omnivorous fish and takes anything which occurs in water like weeds,grasses, bamboo, seeds, unhusked paddy, snails, crabs, also 60% of the gut contents of adult animals,10% mollusks,10% debris, and unidentified matters. In juveniles  54% are insects,24% are mollusks, and 22% are vegetable food include.

Dangers to mahseer

All mahseer species all through Asia are compromised by

Reviewed by:
Dr. Muhammad Khalid Mukhtar (Ph.D.)
University of Sargodha, Sargodha