Researchers identify threatened new fish species in the Amazon

Scientists have identified a tiny, brightly coloured fish in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest that is already at serious risk of extinction, ERR reports.

American and Brazilian researchers found the fish while studying the life cycles of fish in small rivers and forest ponds in the state of Amapá. After examining its physical features and analysing its DNA, they confirmed it was a previously unknown species.

The fish, which is less than three centimetres long, was named Laimosemion laranja. The name refers to its vivid orange markings and to the municipality where it was found.

Its known habitat covers only about 25 square kilometres and is limited to three small forest ponds. The ponds are under pressure from plastic pollution, mining and urbanisation.

The species has an unusual survival strategy: its embryos can pause their development and remain dormant in damp mud when the ponds dry out. Development resumes when seasonal rains refill the ponds.

The researchers said this rare life cycle offers clues about the evolution of Amazonian fish. Their findings were published in the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution.