Source: News on Air
Context
Scientists from ICAR-Central Institute of Coldwater Fisheries Research (CIFRI-Coldwater), with the Arunachal Pradesh Department of Fisheries, recorded the rare Tibetan fish Schizopygopsis waddellii in India for the first time.
What It Is
- A cold-adapted freshwater fish of the Cyprinidae family — specifically the snowtrout / schizothoracine group
- Confirmed as a new Indian record through an integrative taxonomic approach, combining morphological examination with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis
Habitat and Distribution
- Native to high-altitude cold-water ecosystems of the Tibetan and Chinese plateaus
- Type locality: Yamdok Lake, Tibet
- In India, found in Pangkang Teng Tso Lake, at 12,800 feet, in Tawang district, Arunachal Pradesh
- Extends its known range into the Eastern Himalaya
