New fish species found in Milak river

A new fish species has been discovered from Milak river under Mokokchung district and has been named a ‘Badis limaakumi’, after the name of the principal investigator (PI), Limaakum, assistant professor& HOD, department of Zoology, Fazl Ali College.

The team from Fazl Ali College which has been working for nearly a year, under the project titled “Integrated Taxonomic Studies on The Fishes Found in The Rivers of Nagaland”, sponsored by Higher Education department, came up with the second new discovery from Milak river. The team said that some more fishes believed to be new species to science have been identified and work was ongoing for its confirmation. 

‘Badis limaakumi’ is locally known by many names like “Tepdang” or “Akngashi (Chungli)” or “Aokngatsü (Mongsen)” or “Sempi” etc. The fishes in its natural habitat are black in color but when they are moved to aquarium or some other environment, they change their color.

This is the reason why the fishes of this species are sometimes referred to as the chameleon fish, the team said.
One reason for the change in color is attributed to the amount of stress level the fish is under. Male Badis species are generally larger and more colorful than the females.

The team said that currently there were about 25 recognized badis species out of which 15 have been reported from India. Badis species are found in freshwater bodies like rivers, ponds and marshes in northern India, eastern Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, including the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Mahanadi and Indus basins.
They are predatory in nature feeding on tiny freshwater invertebrates.

In Nagaland, it is not clear whether the Badis found in different water bodies in different areas are the same species or not, the team said, adding that more work needs to be done in this regard.