Labeo kaage

Labeo kaage Latest News

Scientists from the PAGR Centre of ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBFGR), Kochi, recently discovered a new freshwater fish species, Labeo kaage, from the Shivanasamudra stretch of the Cauvery River basin in Mandya, Karnataka.

About Labeo kaage

• It is a new species of freshwater fish.
• It was discovered from the Shivanasamudra stretch of the Cauvery River basin in Mandya, Karnataka.
• The name kaage, derived from the Kannada word for crow, refers to the fish’s dark body colour. 
• Locally, it is known as ‘kaage meenu’ in Karnataka.
• It is the latest in a series of dark-coloured Labeo species discovered in the Western Ghats.
• Recent Findings:
  • During 2025, the same team also discovered Labeo chekida from the Chalakkudy River and Labeo uru from the Chandragiri River of Kerala. 
  • While Labeo chekida is locally known as ‘kaka chekida‘, Labeo uru was named after the traditional wooden dhow (uru) of the Malabar coast due to its elongated sail-like fins.
  • The scientists also clarified the identity of Labeo nigrescens, the enigmatic ‘Dark Labeo’ originally described in 1870, resolving a long-standing taxonomic confusion surrounding the group.

Source: TOI

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