Four new fish species named Puntius nelsoni, Puntius nigronotus, Systomus chryseus and Systomus rufus have been discovered in Kerala.
They were discovered by Mathews Plamoottil, a zoology professor at Baby John Memorial Government College in Kollam.
Facts about discovered species
- Puntius nelson- Body and fins of this fish is yellowish in colour. Its head is deeper, the snout shorter and the mouth wider. It was discovered at Kallumkal in Thiruvalla, at the place where Pamba and Manimala rivers merge.
- Puntius nigronotus- It has dorsal fin, black in colour and has more rays. Its lateral line scales are greater than its closest relatives. It was discovered at Mananthavady in the hilly Wayanad district.
- Systomus chryseus- It is golden in colour and its pectoral fin is greatly elongated. It was discovered from Keezhvaipur near Thiruvalla.
- Systomus rufus- Its fins are red in colour. It was discovered from Venpala, near Thiruvalla district.
All the four new species have received a Zoo bank register number from the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature (the worldwide scientific authority for naming new animals). The new species of the genus Systomus was discovered after one-and-a-half century.
Detailed articles describing these new species have been published in international publications like Journal of Research in Biology and International Journal of Fauna and Biological Studies.