Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Environment
Why in News?
Recently, A new catfish species, Pseudecheneis likimroensis, has been described from the Likimro river in Nagaland’s Kiphire district.
- Genus – Pseudecheneis
- Rheophilic catfishes adapted to swiftly flowing hill streams.
- Location – Likimro river, tributary of the Tizu–Chindwin system, Nagaland.
- Region – Indo‑Myanmar biodiversity hotspot; high freshwater endemism.
- Drainage – Tizu river flows into Myanmar, joins Chindwin, then Irrawaddy system.
- Specimens – Around five collected at 446 m elevation.
- Body – Dorso‑ventrally flattened.
- Adhesive Organs – Specialised ridges and grooves to cling to rocks in torrential waters.
- Habitat – Fast‑flowing, boulder‑rich streams.
- Diet – Carnivorous; feeds on insects, larvae, organisms attached to rocks.
- Threats – Dynamite fishing, chemicals, river modification, coal mining, overfishing of egg‑bearing females.
- Significance – Isolation due to tectonic uplift and river course changes created endemic species.
Reference
Mongabay | Pseudecheneis likimroensis
