Platanista gangetica | Red List of Bangladesh Volume 2: Mammals

Taxa
Platanista gangetica | (Roxburgh, 1801)
Publication
Red List of Bangladesh Volume 2: Mammals
NRL Record ID
327627
Location
Countries in Assessment
Bangladesh
Country ISO code(s)
BGD
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Off
Scope (Assessment)
National
Taxon
RRL Synonyms
Platanista gangetica (Roxburgh, 1801); Platanista minor Owen, 1853
Taxonomic Group
Vertebrates
Taxonomic Group Level 2
Mammals
Assessed taxon level
Species
Taxonomic Notes
The Indus and Ganges populations were long regarded as identical until Pilleri and Gihr (1971) divided them into two species (P. gangetica and P. minor), but Kasuya (1972) reduced the two taxa to subspecies of a single species (P. gangetica). The two subs
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
It occurs in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and possibly Sikkim and Bhutan (Culik 2011, Smith and Braulik 2012). This subspecies (P. g. gangetica) occurs in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna, and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of the South Asian subcontinent, from the deltas upstream to where they are blocked by rocky barriers, shallow water, fast currents, dams, or barrages (Smith and Braulik 2012). The subspecies P. g. minor is endemic to the rivers of the lower Indus basin in Pakistan (Culik 2011). All major rivers of Bangladesh.
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
Platanista gangetica lives exclusively in freshwater river system (Ahmed 2009, Culik, 2011, Khan 1985, 1987, Smith et al. 2009) and the estuaries where salinity level is low. Also during monsoon quite a good number visits the northern regions of the Sundarbans (Khan 1985, 1987 and M. A. R. Khan pers. comm). It occurs in all connected rivers and tributaries of Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna system, and Karnaphuli-Sangu river system in southern Bangladesh. They also present in seasonally flooded and lowlands. In general, Platanista gangetica gangetica mostly found in deep pools in river meanders and confluences. In the water ways of Bangladesh Sundarbans, their distribution is conditionally dependent on low salinity, high turbidity and moderate depth during both low and high freshwater flow (Smith et al. 2009).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes, in the publication/on website
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Vulnerable
Assessment status abreviation
VU
Assessment rationale/justification
Throughout the distribution range, this species is facing a high risk of human impact, destruction of natural forests and daming of upper reaches of all trans-boundary rivers in the neighbouring countries that is causing massive siltation in all floodplain rivers. There has been a dramatic decline in the Extent of Occurrence, as well as habitat quality, especially in the Ganges (IWC, 2000) and Brahmaputra River basins, which is related to the construction of barrages in the upstream countries (M A R Khan pers. comm). The species has also disappeared from most of the tributaries of GangesBrahmaputra-Meghna river systems due to siltation, insufficient water flow. So, it is now restricted to a few larger channels (pers. obs.). It is assuming that at least 30% decline of population has occurred during last three generations with the decline in its habitat and incidental catch in drag net. Based on the ongoing threats, fragmentation of the population, the species has been assessed as Vulnerable.
About the assessment
Assessment year
2015
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
Md. Zahangir Alom
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
NGO
Academic
Assessor affiliation specific
Academic|NGO
Criteria system
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1 + Regional Guidelines v4.0
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
IUCN (2012) IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1. Second edition. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iv + 32pp; IUCN (2012) Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
URL (link) of redlist assessment or publication
http://iucnredlistbd.org/
Endemism
Endemic to region
No
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: No
Conservation
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Further information
History
Endangered in Bangladesh (IUCN Bangladesh 2000).
Scientific Name Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Platanista gangetica Animalia Chordata Mammalia Cetartiodactyla Platanistidae Platanista