Species diversity of fish population in central wetland (south) of Lake Putrajaya, Malaysia

Abstract

Wetland is one of the water bodies that play important roles in supplying different types of fish species for human consumption and other activities, including recreational activities. Understanding the species diversity of a fish population in a wetland or a lake is important to ensure the sustainability of the fisheries resources in the future. This study was conducted to determine the species composition and diversity of fish population in the central wetland (south) of Lake Putrajaya, Malaysia, from March to October 2019. Three sampling stations were designated and were labelled with A, B and C. The samplings were conducted using fish traps and gill nets with different mesh sizes (i.e. 2.5, 3.5 and 4.5 inches). As a result, a total of 303 fish individuals from 13 species were recorded. The most abundant species was Notopterus notepterus (bronze featherback) (41.25%), and this was followed by Oxyeleotris marmorata (marble goby) (15.51%), and Oreochromis niloticus (tilapia) (12.54%). Meanwhile, the fish diversity indices throughout the study period gave Shannon-Wiener Index of 0.68±0.13, Margalef’s Richness Index of 3.82±0.95, and Pielou’s Evenness Index of 0.80±0.12. The results obtained in this study provide some baseline data for improving the management of fisheries resources in the wetland.

Keywords

• fish population
• lake putrajaya
• wetlands
• species composition
• species diversity