Taxonomic Status of Four Rare Alien Fish Species of the Kapchagay Reservoir (Balkhash Basin, Central Asia)

Abstract

Abstract— Based on the morphological features, four rare alien species in the Kapchagai reservoir were identified: Coregonus peled, Parasalmo mykiss, Megalobrama mantschuricus, and Oreochromis niloticus. The latter two species were recorded for the ichthyofauna of Kazakhstan for the first time. Self-reproducing P. mykiss populations have been known in the Balkhash Basin since the late 1990s, whereas the introduction of C. peled into the Ili basin in 1968−1969 and 1971 did not lead to the naturalization of the species. The reasons for the great diversity of invasive fish species in the Kapchagai reservoir are overviewed.