New Fish Species Discovered in Sumatra

Bro-Robbie - Daniel Natanael Lumbantobing, a doctoral student from Indonesia in Department of Biological Sciences of The George Washington University, United States, found four new species of freshwater fish in the rivers of West Sumatra Power flowing into the Indonesian Ocean.

Through electronic mail to AFP, Jakarta, on Thursday, Daniel said, four new fish species named members of the family Cyprinidae fire Rasbora, Rasbora nodulosa, kluetensis Rasbora, Rasbora truncata and was included in the group of species Rasbora trifasciata.

"The interesting Rasbora fire. His name refers to the color I select dorsal and tail that looks orange when the fish are alive, reddish orange color that resembles a flaming fire. That is why I choose the name of Rasbora fire,"explained the candidate's Ph.D.

Daniel explains, Rasbora fire semarga distinguished from all the relatives group members Rasbora trifasciata species other than black ribbon on the side of the middle of the body and tubercles high sefalik'm Rasbora nodulosa strong conical tubercles indistinguishable from sefalik shaped nodules smaller.

While Rasbora kluetensis distinguished from other members of the group type based on the tubercles sefalik with heavy foundation that pops up and Rasbora truncata based on a unique blend of characteristics , pigmentation, and tuberculous, as well as detailed characteristics of the lateral line system.

Daniel's research results on the four new species of freshwater fish, published in Copeia, the scientific journal published by The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, edition of December 2010.

Daniel described the new freshwater fish species are currently doing an inventory of the collection of freshwater fish in the West Coast of Aceh and North Sumatra in July-August 2006.

"Most New Fish Species we do using seine nets and gill nets. The types of fish caught preserved for the next stored in museum collections," he said.

He also explained that the diversity of the genus Rasbora that in some places called "Saluang" (Borneo), "Paray" (Sunda), "Wader" (Java), "Badr" (Minang), "Relo" (Gayo), and "Burinsak "(Tapanuli) is very high in Indonesia.

The number of species that exist to this day known in the world of science, he said, more than 50 species, but the number of species not yet described are still abundant.

(ANTARA News)