The story of finding the new stone Loach, Balitora laticauda: an interview

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Western Ghats Rivers have a bounty of yet unknown aquatic fauna. Recently, a new member was added to the Indian aquatic fauna when a group of researchers found that a fish known to villagers living on the banks of Krishna River in Satara District of Maharashtra, is unknown to science. After conducting follow up studies and comparing it with already described similar species in India, they have established that it is indeed a new species. NeeleshDahanukar, IISER Fellow at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune who was part of the research team, talks about the finding of the new stone Loach from Krishna River with Indian Biodiversity Talks.

Balitora laticauda, teh new stone loach found from Krishna River in Northern Western Ghats
Image Courtesy: Sunil Bhoite

It is indeed interesting to know that the Western Ghats Rivers still keep organisms new to science. Will you please tell us how your team happened to find the fish?

Sunil Bhoite, who is a naturalist working in Satara District, Maharashtra, first caught this species in 2009 and sent it to Dr. Shrikant Jadhav, a scientist in Zoological Survey of India, Western Regional Center, Pune. 

habitat near Krishna River bridge
from where Balitora laticauda  was found.
Image Courtesy: Sunil Bhoite

During our collaborative work on the freshwater fish diversity of the northern Western Ghats, Dr. Jadhav showed me this species as an interesting specimen of genus Balitora. In 2011, Dr. Jadhav and I had an opportunity to visit the ZSI headquarters in Kolkata during which we studied the comparative material of related species. We realized that the species of Balitora from Satara is indeed a new species, still unknown to science.

In collaboration with Sunil Bhoite, who collected more specimens of the species early this year, Dr. Shrikant Jadhav and I worked on the species description and the findings are now published in Journal of Threatened Taxa. We also received some additional specimens of this fish from another locality in the same river from Madhavi Chavan and comparative material of Balitora mysorensis from Rahul Kumar, which were very important in the study.

Though the fish is new science, it had a local name. Were the locals using the fish for any cultural or other purpose?

This fish does not have any cultural value nor does it have any food value. However, sometimes tribal people (called Katkari) catch these and similar hill stream loaches and sell them in the local fish market. The species, however, is rare and is only seldom seen in the market.

With your finding, it is clear that the Western Ghats Rivers still have aquatic fauna which is yet to be described. Considering the rapid pace at which Western Ghats water bodies are polluted, do you think many of these unknown species will stop to exist even before we find them?

In the recent IUCN report on the threats to freshwater diversity of the Western Ghats (http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/RL-540-001.pdf) it was suggested that about 60% of the total endemic freshwater fish species of the Western Ghats are threatened because of several anthropogenic stressors including  organic and inorganic pollution of the water,  biological resource use (food fish and aquarium trade), invasive species, residential and commercial developments and natural system modification.

Typical habitat of Balitora laticauda
Image Courtesy: Sunil Bhoite

Especially in the northern Western Ghats such rapid developments are highly uncontrolled and they are modifying the natural ecosystems posing severe threats to the aquatic biota. On one hand, while the habits of the freshwater fishes, especially the specialists like hill stream loaches that require fast flowing clear water with a good substratum, are getting lost or severely affected; on the other hand we are still discovering species new to science. 

Unless we take efforts for conservation of the habitats and keep a check on the various anthropogenic stressors, it is quite likely that several freshwater fish species will go extinct even before we know them and describe them scientifically. 

Is there any specific threat to the newly described species?

There are no specific threats in the vicinity of type localities of the newly described species. However, potential threats to the habitat include severe sand mining upstream of type locality and agricultural run–off entering into the river. Some organic and inorganic pollution in the area is contributed by the washing of cloths and vehicles. Some river stretches in the vicinity of the habitat also have human settlements which contribute to household wastes directly being added to the river water.

Indian researchers find a new stone loach, Balitora laticauda from Krishna River in Northern Western Ghats

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Confirming the rich biodiversity potential of the Western Ghats biodiversity hot spot,  researchers have identified and described a new Stone Loach from Krishna River in Northern Western Ghats. The new fish which is named as Balitora laticauda or Palmas Stone Loach, was spotted from three different parts of Krishna River in Satara district of the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Balitora laticauda or Palmas Stone Loach
Image Courtesy: Neelesh Dahanukar

The finding which is published in the latest issue of the Journal of Threatened Taxa, claims that the new fish is different from all known species of stone loaches, in its appearance and characteristics.

It has at least 7 most distinct characteristics from its closest relative B. mysorensis described from the Cauvery River in neighboring state of Karnataka in 1941. It has 10 traverse bands on the dorsal side while the caudal peduncle is deeper than that of the known, closely related species, says the research paper.

The new finding adds a 19^th member to the Balitora genus which includes stone loaches found in the hill streams of south and south East Asia. The researchers have spotted the fish from the stream of Krishna River drainage at Venegaon Village, Urmodi River near Nagthane Village and from Khodashi village.


"I got one specimen (of the fish) through my student. By perusal of literature, I was surprised that the present species is quite unlike to its allied species. Meanwhile I came in contact with Sunil Bhoite, a naturalist from Satara and told him about the collection of more specimen from his locality. After one year, he caught some specimen from Urmodi river. After detailed study, I was sure it is new to science.", said Dr. Shrikant Jadhav, Zoological Survey of India, Pune, who described the fish.

New to science, but known to locals

Though the species is new to science, it was not so for the local people in the villages on the banks of the river. Locals call the fish ‘Palmas’ in Marathi which interestingly points to the appearance as well as behavioral characteristics of the fish. In local Marathi, ‘Pal’ means Lizard and ‘mas’ means fish, probably pointing to its lizard like appearance and its habit of clinging to the rocks in the river.

Habitat of Balitora laticauda
Image Courtesy: Sunil Bhoite

According to Neelesh Dahanukar, IISER Fellow at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, who was part of the research team, Katkari tribes used to catch this fish along with other stone loaches to sell in the local market. “The species, however, is rare and is only seldom seen in the market”, he said.

As per the research paper, the researchers have named the fish laticauda for its deeper caudal peduncle which makes it different from its close relatives found in India. Latus in Latin means ‘broad’ and cauda means tail.

Conservation significance

Despite getting attention from the scientific community, the life of Palmas stone loach may not be so easy in the face of rapid depletion of natural habitats in Western Ghats. Highly uncontrolled rapid developments are modifying the natural ecosystems, especially in the northern Western Ghats, posing severe threats to the aquatic biota, says Dahanukar. “Unless we take efforts for conservation of the habitats and keep a check on the various anthropogenic stressors, it is quite likely that several freshwater fish species will go extinct even before we know them and describe them scientifically. “, he says.

Pointing out that the fish lives in clear and swift waters of the streams with rocky bottom, the research paper also notes that the indiscriminate sand mining in the vicinity of the Krishna River can be a potential threat to the species.

Moreover, there is an urgent need to conserve the depleting habitat of the river since the research team hints that there could be more aquatic organisms here which are yet to be scientifically described. "There is also scope to discover some species from the region on which we are working.", said Dr. Shrikant Jadhav.

Read an exclusive interview here: The story of finding the new stone Laoch, Balitora laticauda