Ridged creature — found in river drainage — is a new species in India. Take a look
In a fast-flowing river in India, a small fish battles the current.
Less than 3 inches long, the animal uses pleated skin on the bottom of its body as a self-made sucker, holding onto the rocks to keep its place in the water.
The fish has long been known in the region, even contributing to the local diet, researchers told EastMojo, but it wasn’t until a recent research trip that scientists realized they may be looking at a species that had never been formally identified.
Glypothorax pongoensis is a new species of rheophilic catfish, researchers said in a study published Aug. 28 in the peer-reviewed Journal of Natural History.
“Measuring just three inches in length, this new species is a master of survival in the fast-flowing rivers of Northeast India,” researchers told EastMojo.
The fish has a “rounded snout” and a “saddle-like” plate on its back, according to the study.
On the fish’s underside, there is an “ovate-shaped” suction pad covered in skin ridges, researchers said.
“Armed with a unique thoracic adhesive apparatus — a kind of natural suction pad — it clings to rocks and withstands the rushing currents of its mountainous habitat,” researchers told EastMojo.
The fish is a mix of cream and black colors, according to the study, with a faint stripe on its back.
Like all catfish, the new species has barbels, or feelers, around its mouth that resemble the whiskers of a cat. G. pongoensis has four pairs of barbels, “shorter than head, slender, almost reaching base” of the side fin, researchers said.
The species was named after the Pongo Forest habitat where it was found, in Nagaland, India, in the Brahmaputra River drainage, researchers said.
People in the region have “long known” about the catfish, EastMojo reported, even catching them to eat, but were unaware the species had never been identified by the scientific community.
The fish joins 27 others from their genus, Glyptothorax, that are found in the same river system, according to the study.
The new species lives in the mountainous state of Nagaland, in northeastern India along the border with Myanmar.
The research team includes Diamond Rajakumar Tenali, Pratima SIngh, Gudabandi Vijaya Pratap, Nyamkham Phom, Maka Ratnaraju and Laishram Kosygin.
This story was originally published September 9, 2024 at 11:50 AM with the headline "Ridged creature — found in river drainage — is a new species in India. Take a look."
