New fish species discovered in Arunachal

ITANAGAR, May 06: A new fish species, Glyptothorax punyabratai, has been discovered in the Brahmaputra River drainage in Arunachal Pradesh by the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR).

The species was found in the Tung Stream, a small tributary of the Tissa River within the Brahmaputra River basin.

This discovery was published in the esteemed peer-reviewed journal Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters.

The holotype and paratype specimens of this new species are now housed at the National Fish Museum-cum-Repository of the ICAR-NBFGR in Lucknow.

ICAR-NBFGR director Dr Uttam Kumar Sarkar emphasized the importance of exploring uncharted territories, especially in the northeastern regions, to discover new fish species that could have significant implications for both utilization and conservation efforts.

The new species has been named Glyptothorax punyabratai in honor of Dr Punyabarata Das, the founding director of ICAR-NBFGR, in recognition of his substantial and invaluable contributions to fisheries research.