Scientists identify new Labeonine fish species in Manipur’s Nambashi Valley
Garra nambashiensis was found by a research team led by Dhanamanjuri University
Discovered fish, Garra nambashiensis (Photo: AT)
Imphal, Sept 14: A new freshwater fish species has been identified in Manipur, according to a study published in the peer reviewed journal, Zootaxa.
Garra nambashiensis – a new species of Labeonine fish – was found by a research team led by Dr Bungdon Shangningam of Dhanamanjuri University (DMU), Imphal, in Taretlok, a tributary of the Chindwin river, near the Nambashi Valley at Kasom Khullen in Kamjong district.
The other research team members are Kongbrailatpam Babyrani Devi, Thonbamliu Abonmai, and Kh Rajmani Singh. When contacted, Dr Shangningam, associate professor of DMU, said that following identification of the new fish species, a study paper was submitted to the journal in March this year.
This new species is distinguished from other members of the group as it has a quadrate-shaped unilobed proboscis with a row of 7-8 medium to large-sized conical acanthoid tubercles on anterolateral margin, a black spot on each side of opercle, dorsal-fin base with 8-11 scales, and presence of six distinct narrow black stripes extending to the posterior margin of the hypural plate.
Dr Shangningam, a resident of Chakpikarong village in Chandel district and a post doctoral fellow from the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, said: “This species falls within the 90-140 mm (9-14 cm) size range and it is locally known as Nutungnu.”
According to Zootaxa’s citation, the new species was collected from swift-flowing riffles with algae-covered gravel beds and mixed substrate comprising cobbles, boulders, pebbles, sand, fine silt, and coarse sediments.
Currently, 60 species of Garra have been recorded from various river systems in the North East, encompassing the Eastern Himalayan and Indo-Burma regions. Of these, 32 are grouped in the ‘proboscis species group’ and occur in the Chindwin, Brahmaputra, Barak, and Kaladan river systems.
Eight species have been recorded from the Chindwin river system alone, including the recently described G. chingaiensis, the study stated.
Garra nambashiensis is known to be available in the Taretlok river in Kamjong district bordering Myanmar.
In March 2018, Dr Shangningam had discovered Pethia poiensis, locally known as ngakha macha, in the Challou river in Ukhrul district.