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Description |
Geographic Range [top]
Range Description: This species is found in the Mekong River, where it is only known from a few localities near Khong Island in Lao PDR (Done Houat, opposite Muang Sene, Somphamit Falls, Muang Khong) (Brandt 1974; Mahidol University Collections, ANSP Collections). Further survey work is needed to confirm that the species is not present below the Khone Falls in Cambodia, nor further upstream in the Mekong watershed; there is an unverified record from the Mun River, Thailand.
Countries occurrence:
Native:
Lao Peoples Democratic Republic
Additional data:
? Estimated area of occupancy (AOO) - km2: 20
? Number of Locations: 1
Range Map: Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.
Population [top]
Population: Population size is not known and there are no recent survey data.
Current Population Trend: Unknown
Additional data:
? Population severely fragmented: No
Habitat and Ecology [top]
Habitat and Ecology: Known records are along the shore of Khong Island, on sandbars and in the rapids. It was found on stone and sand with green algae.
Systems: Freshwater
Use and Trade [top]
Use and Trade: No information available.
Threats [top]
Major Threat(s): A potential threat to this species is the Pak Mun dam, 5.5 km west of the confluence of Mekong and Mun Rivers in Ubon Ratchathani province, Thailand. Completed in 1994, it immediately flooded the land around the river. A World Bank report found that 50 fish species out of a total of 265 had completely disappeared, with many others declining. The Mun river upstream of the dam has also been extensively modified (widened and dammed) (Attwood 1995).
A 30–32 m high hydroelectric dam is being planned at Don Sahong, on the mainstream of the Mekong River (Baran and Ratner 2007). The project would be less than one kilometre north of the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic/Cambodian border, and will be constructed at Khone Falls in Champasak Province, southern Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (Baird 2009). This is the most advanced of eight hydropower projects mooted for the lower Mekong, and will potentially fragment populations of molluscs that inhabit the region, as well as altering water flow patterns downstream. It is also predicted to severely impact the migrations of many species of fish, with unknown ecosystem-level consequences (Baird 2009). The effects on fisheries are also likely to be serious, with the possible result that local people will switch from fish to other protein sources (e.g., molluscs) to supplement their diet.
The Mekong River Commission has agreed that future water quality threats exist, stemming mainly from upstream Chinese catchment areas. Presently, the water quality of the lower Mekong basin is considered good. Although heavy metal contamination exists around cities, it disappears rapidly downstream. The toxicity of these sediments, however, was not conclusive (MRC 2006). Stretches of the Mekong are flanked by high density farmland and deforestation on both sides, leading to sedimentation and nutrient input. Furthermore, many large dams interrupt the flow of the Mekong along its length, while upstream mining operations are reported to have seriously perturbed macroinvertebratre species assemblages (Vongsombath et al. 2009). The impact of threats on this species is unknown.
Conservation Actions [top]
Conservation Actions: Research is needed into the species current distribution and population trends, as well as its ecology.
Citation: Richter, K. 2012. Pachydrobia bertini. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012: e.T188669A1905937. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T188669A1905937.en. Downloaded on 07 May 2018.
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