Chinese researchers discovered a new species of fish in eastern China, “Opsariichthys iridescens”, which has beautiful colors. The research findings describe how the species is distinguished from congeners by morphological characteristics, which were validated through gene-based phylogenetic analysis.
The research was published in a recent issue of the international academic journal Zookeys and led by Yang Jinquan, a professor at Shanghai Ocean University, in collaboration with the Zhejiang Forest Resources Monitoring Center and other institutions.
The newly found fish has a genetic divergence of more than 14% from closely related species and inhabits the Qiantang and Oujiang rivers (Zhejiang Province) and the tributaries of the lower Yangtze River adjacent to the Qiantang River.
Yang said the discovery of several new species living in fast-flowing rivers or streams, including “Opsariichthys iridescens”, indicates that the diversity of freshwater fish species in the region is still underestimated.
Source: https://www.chinahoje.net/nova-especie-de-peixe-e-descoberta-no-leste-da-china/
