New Delhi: Two research teams from Shanghai Ocean University discovered three new fish species this month in China’s Guangxi region. The discoveries were announced to the world through research papers published in the international zoological academic journals “Zoosystematics and Evolution” and “Zootaxa”.
Headed by Prof Wenqiao Tang and Prof Li Chenhong, professors at the College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China, the teams stumbled upon the loaches and sleeper fish in different streams in Guangxi Zhuang, an autonomous region in China bordering Vietnam. Read more to find out about the recently discovered fish species.
Discovered Fishes
1. Beaufortia viridis
2. Beaufortia granulopinna
3. Microdous hanlini
Beaufortia viridis:
Found in the rocky mountain streams of Guangxi as well as the western Yunnan province, bordering Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar, Beaufortia viridis, a green-coloured fish with a striped body and a spotted head, is commonly called “green zebra” by the locals. The unique fish can effectively hide from predators by clinging to the underwater rocks like a disc. The rocks, coloured similarly to the fish, allow the Beaufortia viridis to camouflage with its settings.
After observing the fish, the researchers conducted field investigations, gathering various specimens, photographing them, measuring their morphology and extracting and studying their DNA. This confirmed that the species was indeed a new one as it turned out to be genetically 5.20 per cent divergent from the species closest to it with respect to shape, size and other genetic factors. Finally, the newly discovered species was named Beaufortia viridis.
While conducting further research on the population and distribution of the fish, the researchers discovered another species of fish, which they later labelled Beaufortia granulopinna.
Beaufortia granulopinna:
When the team reached the Yunnan-Guangxi border region, they noticed a broad-headed fish that they initially believed to be Beaufortia ping, a small fish known to inhabit the region’s fast-flowing hill streams.
However, upon further examination, it was noted that these fish differed from the Beaufortia ping in one aspect—small tubercles or protuberances were present on their pectoral fins (located on the sides of the fish, near the gills). This was a unique feature that had not been observed in any other fish belonging to the Beaufortia genus.
When the scientists sequenced the DNA of the collected specimens, comparing it to that of the Beaufortia pingi, they found that the genetic distance between the two species exceeded the kind of divergence that is usually seen within species belonging to the same genus, with a distance of a whopping 11.15 per cent.
After this development, it was confirmed that the fish had never been recorded before. The scientists named the fish Beaufortia granulopinna, or a grainy-finned loach.
Similarities between the two Beaufortia species:
These two fish share several similarities, such as the recognisable vertical stripes on the lateral body and pinnate-type lower lips, which distinguish them from other fish of the Beaufortia genus. The study of genetic distance allowed scientists to calculate the genetic differentiation between different species of the same genus.
Microdous hanlini:
Belonging to a genus of freshwater sleepers (fish that are nocturnal bottom-dwellers) found in southern China and Vietnam, the Microdous hanlini was recently discovered by Professor Li Chenhong’s team. A mysterious species, the Microdous handling is the third discovered one in the genus, preceded by Microdous amblyrhynchos, also found by the same team in the Hongshui River, and their cogener M Chalmers.
Microdous hanlini can be distinguished from its predecessors, as it has unique physical traits such as a wide head, wide interorbital width, pointed snout etc. However, these traits did not reveal any difference between male and female specimens of this species.
Much is not known about this unique species endemic to China. It was named after Professor Wu Hanlin, an eminent ichthyologist, in honour of his contributions to the field, especially the study of the gobiiform fish inhabiting both marine and freshwater.
Researchers from Shanghai Ocean University made the remarkable discovery. The newly found fish include Beaufortia viridis, Beaufortia granulopinna and Microdous hanlini. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
