What do Lantana, Eichhornia and the African catfish have in common?

The correct answer is Option (4) → They are alien species that have turned invasive in India.

Lantana and Eichhornia (water hyacinth) are weeds, and the African catfish Clarias gariepinus is a fish. None of them is native to India. All three were brought in from outside, either by accident or on purpose, and then spread so fast that they now harm our native species. Such species are called alien species, and the ones that spread and cause damage are invasive.

Option (1) They are endemic species of the Western Ghats. — Incorrect. Endemic species are confined to one region and are not found anywhere else. These three came into India from other parts of the world, so they are not endemic to the Western Ghats.

Option (2) They are threatened species kept in Indian zoological parks and botanical gardens. — Incorrect. Zoological parks and botanical gardens give special care to threatened species (ex situ conservation). These three are not threatened; they are the ones threatening our native species.

Option (3) They are native species of India whose habitats are being fragmented. — Incorrect. Habitat fragmentation badly affects native animals such as mammals and birds that need large territories. These three are not native, and they are spreading rather than declining.

Option (4) They are alien species that have turned invasive in India. — Correct. All three were introduced into India and turned invasive. The weeds damage our native vegetation, and the African catfish, brought in illegally for aquaculture, threatens the indigenous catfishes in our rivers.

NCERT Extract:
Loss of Biodiversity – “… (iii) Alien species invasions: When alien species are introduced unintentionally or deliberately for whatever purpose, some of them turn invasive, and cause decline or extinction of indigenous species. … You must be familiar with the environmental damage caused and threat posed to our native species by invasive weed species like carrot grass (Parthenium), Lantana and water hyacinth (Eicchornia). The recent illegal introduction of the African catfish Clarias gariepinus for aquaculture purposes is posing a threat to the indigenous catfishes in our rivers.”