Nature & Environment
New Blue Bellied Night Wanderer Fish Found
Benita Matilda
First Posted: Mar 29, 2013 06:15 AM EDT
A new species and genus of fish with a blue belly was discovered in the Rio Negro, the largest tributary of the Amazon River.
It was discovered during a scientific expedition conducted in October 2011 by leader Monica Toledo-Piza, Geroge Mattox and Manoela Marinho from the University of San Paulo, Brazil.
The fish is 17 mm long (7 mm longer than the world's smallest fish) and is found only in the night. The blue-bellied night wanderer was named Cyanogaster (Blue Belly) noctivaga (Night Wandered). Apart from its blue belly that caught the eyes of the team scientists, it has large eyes and an unusual looking snout and teeth, reports Natural History Museum.
According to the fish expert Ralf Britz at the Natural History Museum, "It is a strange little animal, completely transparent with an otherwise unique color pattern. It appeared as a fast swimming blue streak in the net."
The scientists were not just astonished with its blue belly but the fact that the moment it was lifted out of the water it died.
In order to produce the picture of the live fish, Britz created a phototank at the shoreline with cameras fitted into it. Britz, along with George, pulled the net towards the phototank and with a large spoon transferred the fish from the net into the phototank.
Britz states that the Rio Negro in Brazil has acidic backwaters and harbors several miniature species.
Refer to journal Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters.
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First Posted: Mar 29, 2013 06:15 AM EDT
A new species and genus of fish with a blue belly was discovered in the Rio Negro, the largest tributary of the Amazon River.
It was discovered during a scientific expedition conducted in October 2011 by leader Monica Toledo-Piza, Geroge Mattox and Manoela Marinho from the University of San Paulo, Brazil.
The fish is 17 mm long (7 mm longer than the world's smallest fish) and is found only in the night. The blue-bellied night wanderer was named Cyanogaster (Blue Belly) noctivaga (Night Wandered). Apart from its blue belly that caught the eyes of the team scientists, it has large eyes and an unusual looking snout and teeth, reports Natural History Museum.
According to the fish expert Ralf Britz at the Natural History Museum, "It is a strange little animal, completely transparent with an otherwise unique color pattern. It appeared as a fast swimming blue streak in the net."
The scientists were not just astonished with its blue belly but the fact that the moment it was lifted out of the water it died.
In order to produce the picture of the live fish, Britz created a phototank at the shoreline with cameras fitted into it. Britz, along with George, pulled the net towards the phototank and with a large spoon transferred the fish from the net into the phototank.
Britz states that the Rio Negro in Brazil has acidic backwaters and harbors several miniature species.
Refer to journal Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone