Guwahati: A team of researchers from Fazl Ali College in Mokokchung has discovered a new fish species of fish from the Dikhow river in Nagaland.
The research team led by Limaakum from the Department of Zoology at Fazl Ali College has named the new species Pethia dikhuensis.
The details of the discovery have been published in the international journal for taxonomic studies—Zootaxa.
Researcher Limaakum in a statement said that the project was ongoing and more fishes were being identified for which the results are awaited.
Pethia dikhuensis is currently known only from the Dikhu River, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, in the Mokochung district of Nagaland.
Pethia dikhuensis is unique among all species of barbs because the male fish of this species have reddish-orange fins and bodies. The new fish is consumed by locals but also possesses a good ornamental value due to the attractive colour.
The genus Pethia are small sized-fishes (5-8 cm) commonly called ‘barbs’. These fishes are endemic to the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar.