Eechathalakenda incognita

Eechathalakenda incognita Latest News

A team of scientists recently discovered a new fish species named Eechathalakenda incognita from Western Ghats of Kerala.

About Eechathalakenda incognita

• It is a new species of fish belonging to the cyprinid subfamily Torinae. 
• It was discovered from various streams inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala.
• The genus Eechathalakenda was originally established in 1999 for a solitary, enigmatic fish species first described in 1941 from the Pamba River in Kerala. 
• This newly described species had been confused with Eechathalakenda ophicephala for the last 70 years.  
  • However, it is visually and genetically distinct from Eechathalakenda ophicephala.
  • While E. ophicephala sports rhomboid-shaped scales, the new species features circular scales near its upper body, alongside a unique dark lateral stripe, a different count of fin rays, and a substantial 4.9%-5.3% genetic variation.   
  • Their geographic distributions are exceptionally narrow; E. ophicephala is strictly confined to Pamba river headwaters over 1,000 metres above sea level, while E. incognita is isolated to specific fast-flowing, rocky streams inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve. 
• E. incognita is the ninth point-endemic fish species (restricted to a single location in the world) to be identified within the Periyar Tiger Reserve. 

Source: TH

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