Question: The new family of boney fish species that has been named as Aenigmachannidae was recently discovered in-
a) Kerala
b) Karnataka
c) Maharashtra
d) Andhra Pradesh
Answer: (a)
Related Facts:
- Recently scientists have discovered a new family of bony fish from Western Ghats in India.
- This fish species has been named as Aenigmachannidae.
- This discovery became possible by the collaborated effort of Scientists from India, Germany, United Kingdom and Switzerland.
- Results of this study were published in Scientific Reports, the open-access mega-journal of the Nature Publishing Group.
- It is important to note that the discovery of Aenigmachannidae came just a year after the discovery of the enigmatic fish, Gollum Snakehead.
- Interestingly both these species were discovered from the same rice fields of northern Kerala.
- Scientists have now conducted detailed studies on its skeleton and genetic assembly of Aenigmachannidae.
- The study led to the recognition that this species, and its congener Aenigmachanna mahabali, represents a new family different from Channidae, in which both species were initially placed.
- These suggest that members of Aenigmachannidae are “living fossils” and comprise an ancient gondwanan lineage.
- It survived during the break-up of the supercontinent (Gondwana) and the northward drift of the Indian subcontinent, about 100 million years ago.
Links:-
http://www.thehawk.in/science/scientists-discover-new-family-of-bony-fish-in-western-ghats-176857
https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/new-family-of-bony-fish-discovered-in-western-ghats/article32771042.ece