New catfish species identified in Tamil Nadu's Salem

The new species belonging to the genus Pangasius was identified by the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBFGR). The species has been named "Icaria" -- after the organisation responsible for its discovery.
catfish

Image of a catfish used for representation.

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Chennai: A new edible catfish species was discovered from Mettur Dam in Salem district of Tamil Nadu.
The new species belonging to the genus Pangasius was identified by the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBFGR). The species has been named "Icaria" -- after the organisation responsible for its discovery. The team was at Mettur Dam to study the differences between the species of catfish found upstream and downstream of the Cauvery.
The newly-identified species is popular among locals -- who call it "aie keluthi" in Tamil. The fish can be identified by its small rounded vomerine and palatine tooth plates and longer maxillary and mandibular barbels (whiskerlike sensory organ near the mouth). They have more vertebrae and smaller caudal peduncle depth (region behind the dorsal and anal fins where the caudal fin attaches to the fish's body), The New Indian Express said in a report.
"This discovery will help us chalk out a strategy for management, conservation and better utilisation of the species. The researchers used extensive morphological analysis, skeleton radiography, and advanced molecular markers combined with species delimitation computational techniques to conclude that the Pangasius specimens from the river Cauvery are distinct from other species of the genus Pangasius,” ICAR-NBFGR director Kuldeep K Lal, who led the team that made the discovery told the newspaper.
A holotype of Icaria species was registered at the National Fish Museum and Repository of ICAR-NBFGR, Lucknow and the name of the species was added to ZooBank, the online registration system for the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. It will be published in the international journal PeerJ, the news report added.
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