Wednesday July 12, 2023
Nature World News —
Scientists discovered a new fish species which has long been prominent in the aquarium trade.
According to an entry posted on Phys.Org, redtail garra, a type of fish that feeds on algae, has been restricted to a small stretch of river situated in the border between Thailand and Myanmar.
Experts said this place was considered as isolated; therefore, these redtail garras have existed in relative obscurity despite their global appeal.
The report mentioned that Larry Page, curator of ichthyology at the Florida Museum of Natural History, had surveyed fishes in Thailand on a yearly basis beginning 2007. Page had encountered a few redtail garras while he was conducting fieldwork along the Kasat River.
“When we first collected specimens, we thought it must be widespread in Myanmar because of its popularity in the aquarium trade. But it turns out it’s not. It’s only in the Ataran River basin,” Page said in the report.
Page said that the basic knowledge about the fish species’ biology is available, however, it is only in the form of studies about individual species or regions.