Taipei, Jan. 9 (CNA) A new and endemic species of balitorid fish has been discovered in the Kaoping River in southern Taiwan, the Yushan National Park Headquarters said in a statement Monday.
During a recently concluded project carried out in 2022 and 2023 by Chen I-shiung (陳義雄), a National Taiwan Ocean University professor, a new balitorid fish was collected from a stream near the Kaoping River basin, which originates on the southern side of the Yushan mountain ridge, the office said.
The fish, named Hemimyzon yushanensis, has a streamlined shape and several small whiteish spots on its greenish-brown body, according to the research. Its dorsal fins are also said to be different from the "Formosan river loach" or the Hemimyzon formosanus, in shape and number.
According to the office, in its two-year research project, a total of 24 sampling stations were set up in the Jhuoshuei River in central Taiwan, 28 in the Siouguluan River in eastern Taiwan, and 16 in the Kaoping River. Thirty kinds of fish and seven types of crustaceans were identified.
The office stated that the fish need stable and uncontaminated water, indicating the importance of environmental protection, and urged the public not to leave rubbish in mountain areas.
The discovery of the fish during the project was also reported in the international journal Zootaxa in 2022.
