New Fish Species Identified in Western Rivers of U.S.

The U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station has confirmed a new species of fish, discovered in western rivers of the United States.

"The discovery of a new fish is something I never thought would happen in my career because it 's very rare in the United States," Michael Young, co-author of the study said, via Reuters.

Compared to its kin, this sculpin shows relatively few differences by todays standards from its ancestors. Yet a genetic analysis of the fish confirmed that it is indeed a new species of fish.

"Recognizing species of sculpins is a challenge because even distantly related species look very much alike. So rather than taking a morphological approach to identification, we used genetic methods to delineate the species," said Michael Young, a Forest Service research fisheries biologist. "It's really exciting to find a new species of fish. It's something you might expect in more remote parts of the world, but not in the US."

The fish was dubbed a "cedar sculpin" after the red cedars that line its home streams. Researchers note that the species has a variation in "spiny structures" that are located on the head of cedar sculpins. These spines help protect the fish from predators, according to the news organization.

"The average person wouldn't be able to tell the difference," said Michael Young, a Forest Service fish biologist. "One of the physical differences is visible only if you dissect the fish. The other involves the placement of pores before the tail. What tipped us off to this being a new species...was the genetic work."

These fish primarily eat insects and live at less than four inches long, with a brown color that helps them blend into the murky river floor of the rivers in which they live. 

A full taxonomic description of the new fish species is available in the current edition of the journal Zootaxa.