Pune: Three new species of Filament barbs, a group of small freshwater fishes, have been discovered in the Western Ghats. These were discovered after collaborative research by scientists from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) – Pune, the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS). The scientific paper presenting these results was published in the international journal – Vertebrate Zoology, published from the Senckenberg Museum in Germany.

Filament barbs are found in the rivers of peninsular India and Sri Lanka from where around nine species are currently known under the genus Dawkinsia. They are popular among aquarium hobbyists around the world and are both wild-collected and captive-bred for the trade. 

This new research has signified the importance of employing integrated taxonomy in the identification of species as an integrative approach of evidence gathering using morphological and genetic analysis, and based on a fresh collection of Dawkinsia specimens from throughout the Western Ghats, has now resulted in the discovery of three new species. 

“It took almost eight years of extensive fieldwork, the examination of historical specimens in museums both within and outside India, and genetic analysis to understand the true diversity of these freshwater fishes”, said Unmesh Katwate who led the study. 

Katwate is a Fish Scientist at the Freshwater Research Unit of the BNHS and PhD student at KUFOS.

Improved conservation
This research has also cleared long-standing taxonomic confusions regarding these species, which would pave the way for improved conservation prioritisation and attention for these species. It has also helped stabilise the identity of Dawkinsia assimilis and Dawkinsia lepida, two species of filament barbs described by British ichthyologists in the 1800s. 

“This study on filament barb, a lesser-known group of freshwater fish is a remarkable contribution to Indian Ichthyology. It will help us in delineating important freshwater key biodiversity areas and help prioritise conservation initiatives for Western Ghats freshwater biodiversity. This study also highlights the urgent need to conserve the Western Ghats freshwater resources as several unknown and plausibly narrow endemic species are still getting discovered,” said BNHS Director Deepak Apte.

Importance of an integrated approach
Co-supervisor of the project Neelesh Dahanukar, who is also visiting faculty at the IISER, Pune said that this study has highlighted the importance of using an integrative approach for understanding the taxonomy of complex groups of fishes.

“It is especially required for those species that are cryptic and difficult to distinguish by external characteristics. We need to combine advanced molecular studies with traditional morphology to understand the true diversity of freshwater ecosystems,” he stated.

However, another co-supervisor of the project Rajeev Raghavan, Assistant Professor at KUFOS said, “Despite this updated publication, the taxonomy of fishes of the genus Dawkinsia remains poorly known and further intensive explorations and research will no doubt yield more new species from this group.” Raghavan is also the South Asia Coordinator of the IUCN Freshwater Fish Specialist Group.