New fish species found in Brahmaputra named after Dibrugarh

Time of India

21 hours ago

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Dibrugarh: A team of scientists has discovered a new species of cyprinid fish in the Brahmaputra river at Maijan in Dibrugarh, further enriching the ichthyofaunal diversity of northeast's river systems.
The species has been named 'Pethia dibrugarhensis', after its type locality.
The discovery was made during a freshwater faunal survey of the Brahmaputra river, conducted by researchers from ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CIFRI), regional centre, Guwahati; ICAR-CIFRI, Barrackpore; and Manipur University. The findings were recently published in the peer-reviewed international journal "National Academy Science Letters by Springer Nature".
"This discovery highlights the incredible biodiversity that still remains to be explored in the Brahmaputra basin. Each new species we identify helps us better understand the complex aquatic ecosystems of northeast. Systematic surveys like this one are essential for documenting and protecting these species before they face threats from environmental changes," said Basanta Kumar Das, director of ICAR-CIFRI, who led the research.
The research team included Niti Sharma and Simanku Borah from ICAR-CIFRI regional centre, Guwahati, in collaboration with freshwater taxonomist W Vishwanath and Pethia specialist M Dishma from Manipur University.
Belonging to the family Cyprinidae, Pethia dibrugarhensis is classified as a barb. The species was found in moderately fast-running water with a substrate of mud, sand, and stones. It coexists with various small indigenous fish species native to the region.
"The distinguishing features of this new species make it quite unique among its congeners. We identified it based on a combination of morphological traits including an incomplete lateral line, a prominent black blotch extending to both dorsal and ventral sides of the caudal peduncle, and the absence of humeral marks and barbels," Das added.