Published Paper Details:

This research work aims to explore the status of fish diversity in the lower stretch of West Rapti River, Banke. A total of 3 sampling stations were sampled from September 2021 to May 2022 to cover 3 seasons. 42 diverse fish species were identified from the various locations of the lower stretch of West Rapti River, which belongs to 5 orders, 14 families, and 25 genera. The principal order and family as determined by fish capture of the West Rapti River were found to be Cypriniformes (67%) and Cyprinidae (60%) respectively. The principal fish species determined was Cabdio morar followed by Barilius bendelesis, Salmostoma phulo, and Barilius barna. Using the Shannon-Weiner index (H) and Pielou's Evenness index (J), the species diversity was examined. The station wise-value of H' ranged from 2.90 to 3.15 and the values of J ranged from 0.77 to 0.84. Similarly, the seasonal value of H' ranged from 2.8 to 3.36 and the value of J ranged from 0.75 to 0.90. This analysis indicates fairly rich fish diversity in the lower West Rapti River, Banke. This result is expected to contribute skeletal information for the future studies in the West Rapti River and other different freshwater bodies.