Dibrugarh: A new species of cyprinid fish has been discovered in the Brahmaputra River at Maijan in the Dibrugarh district of Assam, marking a significant addition to the ichthyofaunal diversity of Northeast India’s river systems.
The species has been named Pethia dibrugarhensis, in reference to its place of origin.
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The discovery was made during a freshwater faunal survey of the Brahmaputra, carried out by a team of scientists from the ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CIFRI), Guwahati regional centre; ICAR-CIFRI, Barrackpore; and Manipur University. The findings were recently published in the international peer-reviewed journal National Academy Science Letters by Springer Nature.
“This discovery highlights the incredible biodiversity that still remains to be explored in the Brahmaputra basin,” said Basanta Kumar Das, Director of ICAR-CIFRI, who led the research. “Each new species we identify helps us better understand the complex aquatic ecosystems of the northeast. Systematic surveys like this are essential for documenting and protecting these species before they face threats from environmental changes.”
The research team included Niti Sharma and Simanku Borah from ICAR-CIFRI Guwahati, along with freshwater taxonomist W Vishwanath and Pethia specialist M Dishma from Manipur University.
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Pethia dibrugarhensis, a member of the Cyprinidae family, is classified as a barb. It was found inhabiting moderately fast-flowing sections of the river, with a substrate composed of mud, sand, and stones. The species is known to coexist with several other small indigenous fish in the region.
According to Das, the new species is distinguished by a unique combination of morphological features, including an incomplete lateral line, a prominent black blotch extending to both the dorsal and ventral sides of the caudal peduncle, and the absence of humeral marks and barbels.