The new fish species Badis limaakumi has 10 unique pairs of vertical bars on its body. Credit: Limaakum and Praveenraj Jayasimhan
Zoologists have discovered a new species of a colour-changing fish in the Milak river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra in Nagaland, northeast India1.
The fish belongs to the Badis genus, but is different from other species in the genus because of 10 distinct pairs of vertical bars on its body and a large irregular patch on the bone that covers its gills.
The discovery suggests that increased surveys in Nagaland’s streams and rivers may reveal new species, says a researcher at the ICAR-Central Island Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-CIARI) in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Limaakum, a zoologist at Fazl Ali College in Nagaland, first spotted the fish in the river. He reared some in an aquarium and found that they changed colour differently to related species. With his collaborator Praveenraj Jayasimhan at ICAR-CIARI, they closely examined and compared the fish with other members of the Badis genus and declared it to be a new species.
The fish, named Badis limaakumi, has no patches on its sides and fins and, compared with other fish in the region, has a greater number of lateral-line scales. Pregnant female fish are plumper with a distended abdomen but have smaller bodies than the males.
Previously, 14 species of Badis have been found in India. This new find increases that number to 15. It will be a good ornamental fish with a trade value in the Indian aquarium fish export market, says Praveenraj.
