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Mahesh

01/10/22 06:33 AM IST

ICAR researchers discover new species of catfish in Mettur Dam

In News 
  • A new catfish species of the genus Pangasius has been discovered by the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBFGR) from Mettur Dam in Salem district.
About New species 
  • The new species of catfish belongs to the genus Pangasius.
  • It was found in Mettur Dam in Salem district, Tamil Nadu, by the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBFGR).
  • It was discovered when a team of scientists headed by director of ICAR-NBFGR visited the Mettur Dam to study the difference between the species of catfish found upstream and downstream of the River Cauvery.
  • The newly discovered species has been christened Icaria after the ICAR-NBFGR’s parent organization ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research).
  • The newly species is edible and the locals call it aie keluthi in Tamil.
  • The holotype of this species is registered at the National Fish Museum and Repository of ICAR-NBFGR in Lucknow.
  • The name of this species is registered in ZooBank – the online registration system of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.
  • The new species is different from other species of catfish by its small rounded vomerine and palatine tooth plates, longer maxillary and mandibular barbels, more vertebrae and smaller caudal peduncle depth.
  • Catfish has high commercial value in aquaculture and wild capture fisheries.
Mettur dam 
  • The Mettur Dam is the largest dam in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
  • It is situated across the Cauvery River. It was built in 1934.
  • It took over 9 years to complete this dam having the maximum height of 214 feet and width of 171 feet.
  • It is the main source of irrigation in the Cauvery Delta Region in Tamil Nadu.
Source- Indian Express 

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