According to a research paper published in the Journal of
threatened Taxa, researchers with the ICAR have found and described a glass
fish species previously unknown to science from the Chindwin basin of the
Loktak Lake in the North Eastern state of Manipur in India.
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| Parambassis waikhomi, the new glass fish species found in Loktak Lake, Manipur |
The newly identified fish belongs to the family Ambassidae which has small to medium
sized transparent fishes which are usually called freshwater glass perches. According
to the researchers, the new fish belongs to Parambassis
genus of glass fishes which differ from others in the number of scales in
the lateral series and in the number of dorsal and anal fin rays.
The new comer now makes the sixth species of glass fishes in
the Parambassis genus found in India.
Totally 12 species are so far reported from the genus from the Asian continent.
Unique morphology of P. waikhomi
According to the research paper, the newly identified fish
differs from other closely related species in the family with the presence of
58 to 60 lateral line scales, two predorsal bones and a set of other body
characters. The newly described fish reportedly has a humeral spot, which also
makes it different from six other closely related species of the same genus.
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| Loktak Lake Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons |
Similarly, it does not have the pre-dorsal scales present in
many other species in the same genus. The number of gill rakes, scales in the
lateral series also makes it different from closest relatives. The live
specimens of the fish, according to the researchers, were semi-transparent with
yellowish or silver coloration.
Named after Indian
Icthyologist
The new species was named as Parambassis waikhomi, in honour of Prof. Waikhom Viswanatah who has
made extensive contributions to the study of fishes in North Eastern India. He
is presently at the Department of Life Sciences, Manipur University.
The fish, as per present knowledge, is restricted to the
Chindwin Basin of Loktak Lake in Manipur. According to the paper, though glass
fishes are found widespread in India, there is a need to take up detailed study
to taxonomically describe them, since the supposedly widespread species may be
actually species complexes.
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