‘Banded’ river creature found lurking under bridge in Zambia. It’s a new species
A “banded” creature swam through a river in Zambia and passed under a bridge — or at least tried. Instead, scientists pulled the scaly animal from the waters.
They didn’t realize right away, but they’d just discovered a new species.
Researchers decided to study a group of fish scientifically known as Nannocharax but commonly referred to as darters, according to a study published May 22 in the peer-reviewed journal Ichthyology and Herpetology. As part of the ongoing project, they took a second look at dozens of preserved darter specimens.
A pattern began to emerge. The specimens from a few rivers in southern Africa, mostly caught in 2005, had a different scale pattern and “banded” coloring, the study said.
Researchers soon realized they’d discovered a new species: Nannocharax skeltoni, or Skelton’s darter fish.
Skelton’s darter fish is considered “small”-sized, reaching just over 1 inch in length, the study said. They have pointed scales, a “short” snout and “slightly elongated” body.
A photo shows the brown “banded” pattern of a preserved Skelton’s darter fish.
Skelton’s darter fish were found under bridges, near waterfalls and in road ditches, the study said.
Researchers said they named the new species after Paul Harvey Skelton, a professor at the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, “in recognition of his outstanding contributions to our knowledge of the diversity and biogeography of African fishes.”
So far, Skelton’s darter fish have been found in the Luongo and Kalungwishi rivers of northeastern Zambia, the study said. Zambia is a landlocked country in southern Africa bordering eight countries: Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
A YouTube video from Bwana Jimmy Productions shows Lumangwe Falls, a waterfall Skelton’s darter fish have been found near.
The research team included Fernando Jerep, Richard Vari, Casey Dillman and C. David de Santana.
This story was originally published May 29, 2024 at 7:42 AM with the headline "‘Banded’ river creature found lurking under bridge in Zambia. It’s a new species."
