Scientists find 20 new species of freshwater fishes in Australia

A team of scientists at the University of Melbourne claim to have discovered 20 new species of freshwater fishes in the rivers of the Kimberley region in Western Australia.

The new species described by the researchers were discovered as a part of nine-month long mission conducted by the team between 2012 and 2014 across 17 Kimberley rivers. The new species of freshwater fish fall into either one of the three groups of fishes: Atherinidae or hardy heads (1 species), Terapontidae or grunters (16 species) or Eleotridae or gudgeons (3 species).

Sci-news.com reports that 12 out of 20 species were discovered within a three-week period back in 2013 by Dr Le Feuvre and his colleague, James Shelley. An access to some of the most remote rivers in Australia made the discovery possible.

The scientists faced a lot of challenges while sampling the river. The condition was so extreme that Shelley was even attacked by a freshwater crocodile while snorkelling in the Glenelg river.

One of the species discovered by the team – a Prince Regent River inhabitant, 25-cm-long grunter – is set to be named after Timm Winton, a renowned writer and novelist. The rest of the species will be given a common Latin scientific name that reflects the area from which it was discovered and its characteristic features.

“It’s in recognition of his contribution to Australia’s cultural life, his love of fish which shines through in many of his novels, and his staunch advocacy for conservation in the Kimberley,” said Shelley, in a statement.

Winton says that the biodiversity-rich Kimberley region has been underestimated for so long. It clearly requires more study and greater protection. Winton further says that such discoveries warrant a need for further exploration and proves that fact the there is a lot more to be learned about the region.

The complete details about the 20 new species have been described in the journal Global Ecology and Biogeography.