Identification and distribution of fishes in fresh water of District Malakand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan

The current study was elaborated the diversity of fresh water fishes in Malakand from 2017 to 2018, the samples were collected at five different locations (Meherdi stream, Kharki stream, Wartier stream, Mahajar camp stream, and Dargai streams),and taxonomically treated as 14 species were identified (Channa punctata, Danio devario, mastacembelus armatus, Barilius pakistanicus, Carassius auratus, Puntius chola, Puntius sarrana, Acanthocobitis botia, Barilius vagra, Ompak pabda, Crossocheilus diplocheilus, Schizothorax plagiostomus, puntius conchinus, Tor putitora) among 14 species, 11 species belong to family of Cyprinidae, One specie is belongs to family ofchannadae, one specie is belongs to mastacembelidae and one specie belong to nemachelidae, it has been observed that Cyprinidae was found most dominant Family in the experimental area and observed from all the localities of Malakand Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.


Introduction
Fish is a cold blooded aquatic chordate having gills, fins and body covered with different types of scales [1]. Fishes are more diverse and abundant group of vertebrate and occupied almost every niche of hydrosphere. They showed a great diversity in shape, color and size according to their habitat [2,3]. Fishes are a rich source of food, meet, by products such as fish glue, fish oils and fish meals [4]. They are in the diet of many peoples, they provide proteins, fats, and vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin B, and vitamin C and also rich source of different type of minerals such as Ca, Mg, P, Na, Fe, and I [5,6]. Fishes are also an element of most nation economy, they play important role in income of a nation, Stocking of economically viable native fish species in the reservoirs more productive and in as an important measure from aqua biotin point of view [7,8]. Some fishes are dangerous by means of poisonous, stinging, biting, and shocking [9]. The identification of fishes fauna are very important feature for studying water body. The diversity of fishes is so much numerically; approximately 27

Materials and methods Collection sites
The samples were collected in five different areas namely Meherdi, Kharki, warteir, Mahajar camp, and Dargai in the period of Jan 2017 to Dec 2018 in order to explore the fresh water fishes fauna in district Malakand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan. Swat River water passes through a three-mile long tunnel into dargai and wartair streams having high flow of water. Its average depth is about 3-6 feet, while width is 5-15 feet. The Meherdi, Mahajar camp and Kharki streams are small, its depth1-3 and width is about 5-8 feet shown in (Fig. 1).

Sampling and preservation
Random fishes sampling were done on daily basis from Jan 2017 to Dec 2018 in different study sites of District Malakand. The collection was made from different sites of water to avoid specie missing. Immediately after capturing fishes, formalin was injected with in their abdomen to avoid bacterial contaminations. The material was used during the collection includes; automatic rods, hand nets, PH meter, thermo meter, mobile GPS, measuring tape and digital camera. Fishes was dropped into a solution of dilute formalin (3%). The solution was made by diluting one part of commercial formalin (37%) with 20 parts of water. Then fishes were dropped to those solutions in bottles and those bottles were brought to laboratory of Animals Sciences Government post graduate college Dargai, Malakand with attached labels.

Identifications
Various morphometric measurements of fishes were taken by ruler. Other instruments used for laboratory work are petri dishes, surgical gloves, tissue papers, magnifying glasses and classification was done through various taxonomic and systematic keys [20,21]. According to these keys and system each fish is identified on the basis of size, shape, color, fin structure and different marks on the fish body.

Results and discussion
A total of 480 specimens of 14 species shown in (Table 1) and in (Fig. 2) and their Percentage contribution to their families shown in (Fig. 3) belong to 4 families and 10 genera were collected from District Malakand Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan. About 11 (78.57%) of individuals to eleven species belonged to family cyprinidae followed by 1 (7.1%) of individual of Channa punctata belonged to channidae 1 (7.1%) of individual metacemballus armatus belonged to metacembilidae and 1 (

Conclusion and recommendations
The present study was conducted for the first time from Jan 2017 to Dec 2018 to explore the diversity of fresh water fishes in District Malakand KP, Pakistan. During the present surveys 14 species were collected, identified, persevered, and labeled in the Department of animals' sciences GPGC, Dargai Malakand. The most dominant family was recorded as cyprinidae, followed by 11 species out of 14. It could be rightly concluded that the present collected species has some of the important commercial fishes like Swati fish, mahasheer and zebra fishes, found in Meherdi, Dargai and Wartair streams. The anthropogenic activities like oil spills, over hunting, the aquatic pollution from the ghee mills and steels mills are highly affected the diversity and may stop the growth of these commercially important fishes. To conserve this important ichthyofauna in the District Malakand, the authorities need to play a critical role especially in managing and to aware the people of District to control illegal fishing technique like electric currents, dynamites.