author(s)
Shamima Nasren, Nagappa Basavaraja, Md. Abdullah Al-Mamun and Sanjay Singh Rathore

abstract
The Western Ghats, India having the most biological diversity in the world and in terms of the freshwater fish the endemicity also higher here. Over 300 freshwater fishes present in the Western Ghats and more than 50% of those are endemic. Very few places in the earth having extraordinary biodiversity and the intensity of endemism in respect of freshwater fishes as Western Ghats, India showed. Eighteen genera are endemic in Western Ghats regions. Some fishes having cryptic nature with their congeneric sister species. Proper identification, conservation and incorporating the cultivable endemic species for development of aquaculture is now demand of time.