Diversity of Mollusks and Herpetofauna along River Beas in Punjab, India

The diversity of herpetofauna and mollusks along the river bank can act as bioindicator of the ecological environment. The faunal diversity was studied from 2019 to 2021 along the bank of River Beas during the spring, summer, and autumn seasons. In 2019, four mollusks, and six reptilian species were recorded along the river bank. However, in 2020, six mollusks species and two amphibians were observed. Mollusks of eight different species, Indian bullfrog, and freshwater turtles were observed in 2021.An increase in the number of mollusk species along River Beas from 2019 to 2021 indicated an improvement in the quality of water. Two amphibian species namely Hoplobatrachus tigerinus and Rana limnocharis were predominant in the study area. These were not seemed to be affected by changes occurring along the river because of the presence of alternate habitats in the form of large tracts of land under paddy cultivation in the study area. Large groups of turtles near the river bank in 2021 indicated an improvement in water quality.