COLLECTION, PRESERVATION, AND IDENTIFICATION OF FRESHWATER FISH SPECIES IN MIDDLE TO NORTH-EAST BANGLADESH WITH SPECIAL NOTES ON PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY OF FEW SPECIES

A checklist of 110 species of fishes belonging to 10 orders, 31 families and 78 genera was recorded with their scientific, common and Bangla or local names. These fish specimens were collected from the rivers, beels, haors, ponds and swamps of middle to North-east Bangladesh (Jamalpur, Netrokona, Kishorganj, Munshiganj and Bogra Districts). The order Cypriniformes (37%) was recorded higher followed by Perciformes (24%), Siluriformes (23%), Clupeiformes (6%). The global and national IUCN categories of these species are also provided. Based on local IUCN criteria, around 23% fish species belongs to threatened level and 5, 8 and 10% are denoted as critically endangered (CR), endangered (EN) and vulnerable (VU), respectively. Although collection and preservation is comparatively hassle-free, however, due to mingle nature of few fish species; it seems difficult to error free identification of the collected fishes by morphological traits alone. Two individuals from Sanondabari, Jamalpur (MHBSFMSTU Fish 92 and Ghaglajur Bazar, Netrokona (MHBSFMSTU Fish 84), morphologically