The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

ISSN 2307-8235 (online)

IUCN 2008: T172350A6873995

Garra menoni, Silent Valley Stone Sucker

Assessment by: Raghavan, R. & Ali, A.

View on www.iucnredlist.org

Citation: Raghavan, R. & Ali, A. 2013. Garra menoni. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013:
e.T172350A6873995. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T172350A6873995.en
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THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES

Taxonomy
Kingdom

Phylum

Class

Order

Family

Animalia

Chordata

Actinopterygii

Cypriniformes

Cyprinidae

Taxon Name:Garra menoni Rema Devi & Indra, 1984

Common Name(s):
English:

Silent Valley Stone Sucker, Silent Valley Algae Eater

Taxonomic Notes:
Garra menoni was first described by Remadevi and Indra (1981) from Walakkad in the upper reaches of
Bharatapuzha River (Kunthi tributary) inside the Silent Valley National Park (Easa and Basha 1995).

Assessment Information
Red List Category & Criteria:

Vulnerable D2 ver 3.1

Year Published:

2013

Date Assessed:

June 10, 2010

Justification:
G. menoni is listed as Vulnerable because it has a very restricted distribution with an area of occupancy
less than 20 km inside the Silent Valley National Park and Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala State,
India. There are no current threats to the species as its entire range falls within protected areas, but the
threat from exotic species inside Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is likely to have an impact in the future.
Urgent studies to understand the impact of exotics on native fish is required as well as taking concrete
measures to eliminate these exotics from the area.

Geographic Range
Range Description:
Garra menoni is endemic to the Kerala part of Western Ghats (Remadevi and Indra 1981, Dahanukar et
al. 2004). Known from the Rivers Bharatapuzha (inside Silent Valley National Park, Remadevi and Indra
1981, 1986) and Pambar (inside Chinnar Wild Life Sanctuary) (Easa and Basha 1995, Easa and Shaji
1996).

Country Occurrence:
Native: India (Kerala)

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Garra menoni published in 2013.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T172350A6873995.en

Distribution Map

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Garra menoni published in 2013.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T172350A6873995.en

Population
There is no information on the population of G. menoni. Recent surveys conducted in the Silent Valley
indicate that the species is rare (R. Raghavan and A. Ali pers.obs.).
Current Population Trend:Unknown

Habitat and Ecology (see Appendix for additional information)

It prefers flowing waters with cobble, boulder and bed rock as substrates (Biju 2005). It occurs in high
altitude areas with riparian vegetation (R. Raghavan and A. Ali pers.obs.).

Systems:Freshwater

Use and Trade

There is no information on the use of G. menoni either as food or for non-consumptive purposes.

Threats (see Appendix for additional information)

There are no current threats for this species as their habitats are located entirely inside protected areas.
However, the potential threat from exotic species such as Oreochromis mossambicus in Chinnar has to
be studied.

Conservation Actions (see Appendix for additional information)

As G. menoni is poorly known, there is an urgent need to determine its population status, life history,
threats and ecology.

Credits
Assessor(s):

Raghavan, R. & Ali, A.

Reviewer(s):

Rema Devi, K.R., Gopalakrishnan, A., Arunachalam, M., Shrikant, J., Johnson, J.A.,
Rahul, K. & Molur, S.

Contributor(s):

Molur, S.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Garra menoni published in 2013.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T172350A6873995.en

Bibliography
Biju, C.R. 2005. Habitat and Distribution of Hillstream Fishes of Northern Kerala (north of Palghat Gap).
Zoology, Mahatma Gandhi University.
Easa, P.S. and Basha S.C. 1995. A survey on the habitat and distribution of stream fishes in the Kerala
part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), Thrissur.
Easa, P.S. and Shaji, C.P. 1996. Freshwater fishes of Pambar river, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary. Journal of
the Bombay Natural History Society 93: 305-306.
IUCN. 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2011.1). Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org.
(Accessed: 16 June 2011).
Remadevi, K and Indra, T.J. 1981. Garra menoni, a new cyprinid fish from Silent Valley, South India.
Bulletin of the Zoological Survey of India 5(121-122): 243-257.
Remadevi, K and Indra, T.J. 1986. Fishes of Silent Valley. Records of Zoological Survey of India 84: 243247.

Citation
Raghavan, R. & Ali, A. 2013. Garra menoni. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013:
e.T172350A6873995. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T172350A6873995.en

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To make use of this information, please check the Terms of Use.

External Resources
For Images and External Links to Additional Information, please see the Red List website.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Garra menoni published in 2013.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T172350A6873995.en

Appendix
Habitats
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Habitat

Season

Suitability

Major
Importance?

5. Wetlands (inland) -> 5.1. Wetlands (inland) - Permanent

Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls)

Suitable

Yes

Threats
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Threat

Timing

Scope

Severity

Impact Score

8. Invasive & other problematic species & genes ->

8.1. Invasive non-native/alien species -> 8.1.1.
Unspecified species

Future

Stresses:

1. Ecosystem stresses -> 1.2. Ecosystem degradation

2. Species Stresses -> 2.1. Species mortality
2. Species Stresses -> 2.3. Indirect species effects ->
2.3.2. Competition

Future

8. Invasive & other problematic species & genes ->

8.1. Invasive non-native/alien species -> 8.1.2.
Named species (Oreochromis mossambicus)

Conservation Actions in Place

(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Conservation Actions in Place
In-Place Research, Monitoring and Planning
Action Recovery plan: No
Systematic monitoring scheme: No
In-Place Land/Water Protection and Management
Conservation sites identified: Yes, over part of range
Occur in at least one PA: Yes
Area based regional management plan: No
Invasive species control or prevention: No
In-Place Species Management
Harvest management plan: No
Successfully reintroduced or introduced beningly: No

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Garra menoni published in 2013.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T172350A6873995.en

Conservation Actions in Place

Subject to ex-situ conservation: No
In-Place Education
Subject to recent education and awareness programmes: No
Included in international legislation: No
Subject to any international management/trade controls: No

Conservation Actions Needed

(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Conservation Actions Needed
4. Education & awareness -> 4.1. Formal education
4. Education & awareness -> 4.2. Training
4. Education & awareness -> 4.3. Awareness & communications

Research Needed
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Research Needed
1. Research -> 1.1. Taxonomy
1. Research -> 1.2. Population size, distribution & trends
1. Research -> 1.3. Life history & ecology
1. Research -> 1.5. Threats
2. Conservation Planning -> 2.1. Species Action/Recovery Plan
3. Monitoring -> 3.1. Population trends

Additional Data Fields

Distribution
Estimated area of occupancy (AOO) (km): 15-20
Continuing decline in area of occupancy (AOO): No
Extreme fluctuations in area of occupancy (AOO): No
Estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) (km): 3503
Continuing decline in extent of occurrence (EOO): No
Extreme fluctuations in extent of occurrence (EOO): No

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Garra menoni published in 2013.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T172350A6873995.en

Distribution
Number of Locations: 2-3
Continuing decline in number of locations: No
Lower elevation limit (m): 200
Upper elevation limit (m): 1050

Population
Population severely fragmented: No

Habitats and Ecology

Continuing decline in area, extent and/or quality of habitat: No

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Garra menoni published in 2013.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T172350A6873995.en

The IUCN Red List Partnership

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is produced and managed by the IUCN Global Species
Programme, the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) and The IUCN Red List Partnership. The IUCN
Red List Partners are: BirdLife International; Botanic Gardens Conservation International; Conservation
International; Microsoft; NatureServe; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Sapienza University of Rome; Texas
A&M University; Wildscreen; and Zoological Society of London.

THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES