CHENNAI: A new catfish species of the genus Pangasius has been discovered by the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBFGR) from Mettur Dam in Salem district. It was discovered when a team headed by Kuldeep K Lal, director, ICAR-NBFGR, visited the dam to study the differences between the species of catfish found upstream and downstream of the Cauvery. Specimens were collected five months back and sent for various scientific examinations.
“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. We have named this new species ‘Icaria’ after our parent organisation’s name ICAR,” said Lal.
The newly-discovered species is edible, and the locals call it aie keluthi in Tamil. A holotype of this species is registered at the National Fish Museum and Repository of ICAR-NBFGR, Lucknow. The name of the species is registered in ZooBank, the online registration system for the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature and will be published in the international journal PeerJ, said NBFGR officials.
The new species can be distinguished from its congener by its small rounded vomerine and palatine tooth plates, longer maxillary and mandibular barbels, more vertebrae, and smaller caudal peduncle depth.
“Catfish (Pangasius) are popular for their commercial value in aquaculture and wild capture fisheries, and are a delicacy. This discovery will help us chalk out a strategy for management, conservation and better utilisation of the species,” added Lal.