Different Types of Fishes Found in India: Photographs with Habitat Description
Importance of Indian fishery may be well understood from its 0.87% contribution to total GDP, 4.15 % to agriculture GDP and 5.63% to the world's fish production. Present production of fish and shell-fish from capture fisheries and aquaculture is estimated to be around 8.76 million tonnes, 3.37 from marine and 5.30 million tonnes from inland resources. Marine and fresh water ecosystems are two types of aquatic ecosystem. Different water bodies may have different environmental conditions and communities of organisms. However, an ecosystem of a water body is commonly referred as aquatic ecosystem. Freshwater ecosystem is known to inhabit 41 per cent of world's fish species. Fresh water ecosystem is further divided into three basic form of ecosystems (freshwater). Water bodies allowing slow movement of water such as ponds, lakes and pools are known as 'Lentic' ecosystem. Streams and rivers which may be characterized by rapid movement of water come under 'Lotic' ecosystem and lands with fully anaerobic or partly aerobic conditions are referred as 'wetlands'.

Photographs of beautiful fish species found in freshwater ecosystem especially lakes, rivers and ponds are shown below. A brief description of their habitat including water resources such as Lake, Pond, Dam etc. and depth of water (surface or bottom) is given along with photographs. Fishes are grouped as indigenous major carps, exotic carps, common type carps, air breathing fishes, ornamental fishes and hill stream fishes. All these photographs are copyright material. Hence, these photographs cannot be used on any websites without prior permission.

Fishes are grouped as indigenous major carps, exotic carps, common type carps, air breathing fishes, ornamental fishes and hill stream fishes.All these photographs are copyright material. Hence, these photographs cannot be used on any websites without prior permission.

Group / Habitat:
Ornamental fishes
1. Trichogaster lalius: Found in surface area of all finding fresh water resources.
2. Danio rerio: Usually found during rainy season in the paddy fields and ditches.
3. Trichogaster fasciatus: Found in surface area of all finding fresh water resources.
4. Mastacembelus armatus: Found in muddy places.

A. Indigenous major carps
1. Catla catla : Found on the surface of lake, ponds, tanks, dams and all others fresh water resources.
2. Lebeo rohita : Found on the column of lakes, ponds, tanks, dams and all others fresh water resources.
3. Cirrhinus mrigala :Found at the bottom of lakes, ponds tanks, dams etc.
4. Lebeo bata : Found at the bottom of different water resources.
5. Labeo calbasu : Found at the bottom region of different fresh water resources.

B. Exotic carps
1. Hypophthalmichthys molitrix : Found on the surface of water resources.
2. Cyprinus carpio var. specularis : Found at the bottom region of water resources.
3. Cyprinus carpio var. communis : Found at the bottom region of different water resources.
4. Ctenopharyngodon idella : Found in column region of different fresh water resources.
5. Tilapia mossambicus : Dwelling at the bottom region of different water resources.

C. Air breathing fishes
1. Clarias batrachus : Found in muddy places and at the bottom of fresh water resources.
2. Heteropneustes fossilis: Found in muddy places and at the bottom of fresh water resources.
3. Channa punctatus : Specially found in muddy places during rainy season and in the bottom of fresh water resources.
4. Channa gachua : Found in muddy places and in the bottom region of different water resources.
5. Channa striatus : Found in muddy places, at the bottom of different water resources..
6. Channa marulius : Found in muddy places in least number, at the bottom region of Ponds, Lakes and Dam.
7. Wallago attu : Found in column region of Ponds, Lake, and Dam.
8. Ompok bimaculatus : Found in column region of different fresh water resources.
9. Notopterus notopterus
10. Notopterus chitala.
11. Anabas testudineus : Found in column region of different fresh water resources.
12. Mystus seenghala : Found in bottom region of different fresh water resources.

D. Hill stream fishes
1. Garra gotyla : Found in river Chano near Churchu block and Konar river.
2. Garra kempi : Hill stream of river. Found in ditches near hill foots.
3. Lepidocephalichthys guntea : Most commonly occurring hill stream fish.
4. Nemacheilus botia : Found in ditches near the foot hill.

E. Common type minor carps
1. Oxygaster bacaila : Found in surface area of different fresh water resources.
2. Amblypharyngodon mola : Found in bottom region of all finding resources.
3. Esomus danricus
4. Cirrhina reba : Found in bottom region of different fresh water resources.
5. Rhinomugil corsula
6. Eutropiichthys vacha
7. Puntius ticto. : Found in surface area of different water resources.
8. Puntius stigma : Column region of different fresh water resources.
9. Puntius conchonius : Found in column region of all finding fresh water resources.
10. Ambassis nama : Found in surface area of Ponds, Lakes, River and Dam.
11. Ambassis ranga : Found in surface area of finding water resources.
12. Glossogobius giuris : Found in surface area of different finding water resources.
13. Osteobramo cotio : Found in surface area of finding fresh water resources.
14. Barilius bola : Found in surface area of pond.
15. Mastacembelus aculeatus : Found in muddy places.
16. Mastacembelus pancalus : Found in muddy places
17. Mystus bleekeri : Found in muddy places.
18. Mystus cavasius : Found in muddy places.
19. Mystus vittatus : Found in muddy places.

F. Rare type minor carps
1. Guludia chapra : Found in surface area of pond.
2. Xenentodon cancila
3. Ailia coila

Source: Vandana Srivastava. 2006. Systematic survey of different kind of fishes. Ph.D. Thesis, submitted to VBU.

Updated on April, 2014