A Report on Introduced Amazon Sailfin Catfish, Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus in Langat River, Selangor with Notes on New Body Patterns of the Species
Intan Faraha A Ghani (1)*, Mohammad Noor Amal Azmai (2), Nabil Arif Mohamed (1), Adibah Abu Bakar (3), Shatha Prkhash A/L Anand Prakash (1), Roshani Othman (1),

1. Department of Science and Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering and Life Sciences, Universiti Selangor, Bestari Jaya Campus, 45600 Bestari Jaya, Selangor Malaysia.
*Corresponding author : Dr. Intan Faraha A Ghani (intanfaraha[at]unisel.edu.my)

2. Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang Selangor Malaysia

3. Department Biology, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), 35900, Tanjung Malim, Perak Malaysia

Abstract

Globally and locally invasive aquatic species pose a major threat towards aquatic ecosystems. Among the most successful of these aquatic invaders in Malaysian freshwater river systems is the vermiculated sailfin catfish or Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus. The study is conducted in the Langat River, a subsidiary of the Selangor River Basin which flows through the capital and highly population dense areas of the country. The impact of the species can be seen through its over population and high density in the river due to the absence of natural predators and their tolerance in low water quality environment. This study provides the first report on the occurrence of P. disjunctivus and Amazon sailfin catfish, P.pardalis had been previously reported. Selected morphometric and meristic measurements between P.pardalis and P.disjunctivus from Langat river were compared. Moreover, we also examined the body patterns of both species and the body pattern which does not fit entirely with the reported characteristics of either P.disjunctivus and P.pardalis is suspected to be a result of hybridization between both species. However, deeper study especially on the molecular aspects need to be conducted to confirm this claim.

Keywords: Biological invasion, Conservation, Hybridization, Langat River, Klang Valley

Topic: Aquatic Biodiversity (International)