A previously unknown genus of electric fish has been identified in a
remote region of South America by team of international researchers
including University of Toronto Scarborough professor Nathan Lovejoy.
The Akawaio penak, a thin, eel-like electric fish, was discovered in
the shallow, murky waters of the upper Mazaruni River is northern
Guyana.
 |
| The Akawaio penak. (Credit: Nathan Lujan) |
Lovejoy's team at UTSC analyzed tissue samples collected during a
recent expedition by researchers led by Hernán López-Fernández at the
Royal Ontario Museum. By sequencing its DNA and reconstructing an
evolutionary tree, Lovejoy's team discovered the fish is so distinct it
represents a new genus, the taxonomic classification level above
species.
The upper Mazaruni River is a hotspot for biological diversity, yet
remains largely unexplored because of its remote location. The area
contains countless rivers on top of a series of uplands that have
remained isolated from the rest of South America for more than 30
million years.
"The fact this area is so remote and has been isolated for such a
long time means you are quite likely to find new species," says Lovejoy.
Like other electric knifefish, Akawaio penak has a long organ running
along the base of the body that produces an electric field. The
electric field is too weak to stun prey but is instead used to navigate,
detect objects and to communicate with other electric fish. This trait
is advantageous given the murky habitats of the fish.
The species is named in honour of the Akawaio Amerindians that
populate the upper Mazaruni. The region is increasingly suffering from
freshwater habitat degradation as a consequence of gold-mining in the
area.
"The Mazaruni contains many unique species that aren't found anywhere
else in the world. It's an extremely important area in South America in
terms of biodiversity," says Lovejoy.
The results of the discovery are published in the recent edition of the journal Zoologica Scripta.
Source : sciencedaily.com
