A Current Update on the Distribution, Morphological Features, and Genetic Identity of the Southeast Asian Mahseers, Tor Species

• Published in: Biology (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 10; no. 4; p. 286
• Main Authors: Jaafar, Faizul, Na-Nakorn, Uthairat, Srisapoome, Prapansak, Amornsakun, Thumronk, Duong, Thuy-Yen, Gonzales-Plasus, Maria Mojena, Hoang, Duc-Huy, Parhar, Ishwar S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.04.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Aquaculture; distribution; Economic importance; Endangered & extinct species; Food fish; Genera; genetic marker; Genetic markers; Geographical distribution; mahseer; Mitochondrial DNA; Morphology; Population; Population decline; Review; Reviews; Rivers; Southeast Asia; Species; Taxonomy; Tor; Sarawak Malaysia; Borneo; Malaysia; Selangor Malaysia; Asia; Indonesia; Southeast Asia; morphology; distribution; Tor; genetic marker; mahseer
• ISSN: 2079-7737; 2079-7737
• DOI: 10.3390/biology10040286

The king of rivers or mahseer comprises three genera: , and under the Cyprinidae family. The genus has been classified as the true mahseer due to the presence of a median lobe among the three genera. The species are widely distributed across Southeast (SE) Asia, and 13 species have been reported previously: , , , and . However, the exact number of valid species remains debatable. Different and unstandardized approaches of applying genetic markers in taxonomic identification and morphology variation within the same species have further widened the gap and ameliorated the instability of species taxonomy. Therefore, synchronized and strategized research among species researchers is urgently required to improve and fill the knowledge gap. This review is a current update of SE Asia's species, outlining their distribution, morphology, and genetic identification. In addition, the present review proposes that there are ten valid species in the SE Asian region. This list will serve as a template and standard to improve the taxonomy of the SE Asian species, which could serve as a basis to open new directions in research.