The two new species were uncovered while examining specimens after a routine biodiversity survey conducted by researchers, V. Balaji and Gaurav Shinde
The two new species were uncovered while examining specimens after a routine biodiversity survey. Pic/Gaurav Shinde
Independent researchers have discovered and described two new species of Glyptothorax, a genus of hillstream catfish, from the Ganges River near Dehradun in Uttarakhand. The discovery was published this week in Zootaxa, a leading scientific journal.
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The two new species were uncovered while examining specimens after a routine biodiversity survey conducted by researchers, V. Balaji and Gaurav Shinde. One species has been named Glyptothorax bhurainu, from the Garhwali word bhurainu, in reference to the brown live colouration of this species, and the other has been named Glyptothorax himalaicus, in reference to the mighty Himalayan mountains.
A third species, Glyptothorax dakpathari, originally described from the Dakpathar Barrage near Dehradun in 1976, has also been redescribed in this study after being found to be a valid species. The researchers speculate that these species may have remained undetected for so long due to their cryptic colouration and elusive habitat preferences, dwelling primarily under rocks and pebbles in swiftly flowing hill streams.
"It’s astonishing," Balaji said. "We thought we knew this river well, but nature always has a way of schooling humans. I was fortunate enough to spend a few years living in Uttarakhand and was able to travel around and experience its majesty. I can confidently say that Devbhoomi has never failed to surprise me." The two researchers already have a series of additional research papers on the way to further illuminate the biodiversity of the Ganges river and Uttarakhand state in particular.
"They’ve been here all along, quietly thriving in niches that hadn’t been investigated," noted Gaurav Shinde. "While we are in the process of bringing more new species to the attention of science, it’s a race against time. These fish live exclusively in oxygen-rich, fast-flowing water water and are threatened by numerous factors including habitat loss, pollution and introduction of invasive fish species."
What makes this discovery even more remarkable is the timing, as it has been almost fifty years since a new species of Glyptothorax was discovered in this iconic river. Both researchers were emphatic about the critical role of the local community in protecting native fish species, particularly since their lives have been intertwined with the mighty Ganges for centuries.
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