Endangered horned carp discovered in Sangu River
An international journal recently published the study report
A new species has been added to the list of Bangladesh fishes. Two researchers identified the fish, locally known as "Shingwala machh", or fish with a horn, after a study over the last five years.
The fish is marked as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
The Journal of Biodiversity Conservation and Bioresource Management recently published the study report on the fish, scientifically known as Schismatorynchos nukta.
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Professor Mohammad Ali Azadi, former pro-vice-chancellor at the International Islamic University Chittagong, Professor Mohammad Arshad-ul-Alam, a professor of zoology at Sunamganj Government College, led the research behind the discovery.
"We came to know about the horned fish back in 2015 when a fish was caught in the net of a fisherman. Then, we started the research and identified it as a new species in the country," Ali Azadi told The Business Standard.
He said they were still researching the species.
"The discovery is important for Bangladesh. Earlier, India only declared the fish as its resource. Now, we can say it belongs to Bangladesh also," the professor said.
The fish is found near Tindu-Remakri in Bandarban in an area of 200 kilometres.
The horned carp, Schismatorynchos nukta, was originally described by the US scientist William Henry Sykes in 1839.
What the fish looks like
"The horned carp has some similarity with our local Ruhi and Mrigel. However, the shape of its head is different, which helps to identify the fish as a different species," said Professor Arshad.
The species has no existence in other places of the country, he added.
"The presence and identification of the fish are expected to bring a change in its existence worldwide," he said, adding that the world had so far known about four variants of Schismatorynchos nukta.
"As the fish lives in the hilly area of a river, we could not get a clear idea about its population density as yet."
Further research on Sangu River fishes
Apart from the study on the horned carp, the two researchers have been working on Sangu river fishes and trying to scientifically identify biodiversity there.
They also found another rare species, locally known as "Copper Mohashole". The researcher primarily observed that its movement was limited to the country's boundary. The fish has been marked "near-threatened species" by the IUCN.
The fish exist in a few countries in the world, informed Ali Azadi.
Sangu is a river that accommodates around 199 species of fish. Of them, 23 were marked as endangered or near-threatened species.
