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Glyptothorax ahangkyensis: New catfish species discovered in Manipur’s Ahangky river
It differs from its congeners by the ventral surface of pectoral and pelvic fins with reticulated skin ridges, tuberculate skin on body, smooth posterior margin of dorsal fin spine
A new rheophilic catfish species was found in the Ahangky river in Manipur’s Tamenglong district, a study published last week in the peer-reviewed journal Taylor and Francis Natural said.
The Ahangky River which originates in the north of Nbena village along the boundary between the Old Nbena and Nongmai villages in Manipur’s Kangpokpi District, is an important tributary of the Barak River and it criss-crosses through the hilly terrain of Kangpokpi, Tamenglong, Noney, and Pherzawl districts.
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“Glyptothorax ahangkyensis, a new species is described from the Ahangky River, Barak drainage, in Manipur, India,” Associate Professor of Dhanamanjuri University (DMU) Bungdon Shangningam, who was among the research team, which included research scholars Kongbrailatpam Babyrani Devi, Thonbamliu Abonmai, and Kh Rajmani Singh from Manipur, said.
“It differs from its congeners by the ventral surface of pectoral and pelvic fins with reticulated skin ridges, tuberculate skin on body, smooth posterior margin of dorsal fin spine, nasal barbel not reaching anterior margin of eye, anterior nuchal plate saddle-like with W-shaped extensions, presence of two longitudinal stripes on body. The fish species is collected by my research scholar (Thonbamliu Abonmai) and the name of the species in Liangmai Naga dialect is known as Khapang,” said associate professor Shangningam, who has so far discovered 38 new fish species.
The species is presently known only from the type locality, the Ahangky River in Machengluang village, Tamenglong District, Manipur (Barak-Meghna-Surma River drainage).
“The species is presently known only from the type locality, the Ahangky River in Machengluang village,Tamenglong District, Manipur (Barak-Meghna-Surma River drainage), India,” the journal which carried the article on November 25 added.
“The new fish species was collected along with other fish species of the genera Barilius, Channa, Devario,Garra, Lepidocephalichthys, Mastacembelus, Psilorhynchus and Schistura.”
The species epithet ahangkyensis is a noun in apposition after the name of the Ahangky River in Machengluang Village in Manopur’s, Tamenglong District.
