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Indoreonectes evezardi is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Nemacheilidae. Earlier it was known as Nemacheilus evezardi described by Day (1878) captured from a river stream near Pune. It is endemic to India, found in the Western Ghats and the Satpuras. Most populations are found in normal streams, but two distinct cave-adapted forms exist in Kotumsar Cave.

Indoreonectes evezardi
Individual from the cave-adapted population
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cypriniformes
Family:	Nemacheilidae
Genus:	Indoreonectes
Species:	I. evezardi
Binomial name
Indoreonectes evezardi (F. Day, 1872)
Synonyms
Nemacheilus evezardi Day, 1872 Noemacheilus evezardi (Day, 1872) Oreonectes evezardi (Day, 1872)

Etymology

The fish is named in honor of Col. George C. Evezard (1826-1901), of the Bombay Staff Corps, who helped in procuring the type specimen.[2]

Divergence of cave populations

Due to lack of light and limited source of energy input (food) the cave populations of Indoreonectes evezardi are either found in albinic form with very regressed eyes or with very limited pigmentation and small eyes while compared to its epigean counterparts. Due to subterranean mode of life the complete physiological activities of the cave forms get limited and/or altered .

IUCN status

Though in International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, this particular species is designated in Least Concern (LR/lc)category, but it could not be ruled out that special attention is required to protect the cave forms of Indoreonectes evezardi.

References

• Biswas J. 1991 Metabolic efficiency and regulation of body weight: a comparison between life in hypogean and epigean ecosystems
• Biswas J. 1993 Constructive evolution: phylogenetic age related visual sensibility in the hypogean fish on Kotumsar Cave
• Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2011). "Indoreonectes evezardi" in FishBase. June 2011 version.
• Biswas J. 2010 Kotumsar Cave biodiversity: a review of cavernicoles and their troglobiotic traits

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