Researchers from Kerala and West Bengal have identified a new species of freshwater fish from the Ganga in West Bengal.
The fish, which is edible, has been christened Systomus gracilus for its thin and compressed body. ‘Gracilus’ means slim in Latin. This fish can be cultured in inland waterbodies.
The fish was discovered, scientifically named, and described by Mathews Plamoottil, Head of Zoology Department, Government College, Chavara, Kollam, and Debargya Maji, an young researcher with the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Kolkata. The latest issue of Journal of Experimental Zoology has published an article on the discovery.
The fish, which has a light reddish-white body and fins, was discovered from Naihati, West Bengal. Systomus is a genus in the family Cyprinidae. Systomus gracilus can be distinguished from other species of the genus by its high and strongly compressed body, tiny barbels, and anal fin with six branched rays. The collected specimens were of 11 to 12 cm in length.
Specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India museums at Pune and Port Blair. The fish has also received zoo bank register number from the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature, Dr. Plamootil said.
The research was funded by the Core Research Grant of SERB, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
