The Land of Discovery

In recent times, it has become evident that the Northeast still holds many secrets that are waiting to be discovered

The Northeast has always been known as a biodiversity hotspot, but in the last few years, the region has witnessed many new discoveries proving once again that the region still holds many secrets that are yet to be unravelled. With new species being discovered every few months, more researchers are putting together skilled teams to explore the less-explored areas across the region. In the last couple of months itself, new species of fish and frogs were discovered in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur.

Something Fishy

The water bodies of Arunachal Pradesh have become a treasure trove for researchers in the region and across the country. Just last year, a Fisheries and Aquatic ecology research team led by professor DN Das from Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU) discovered five species of fish. These species include the Mystus prabini (discovered in Sinkin and the Dibang rivers in Lower Dibang Valley district); the Exostoma kottelati (discovered in the Ranga river in Lower Subansiri district); the Creteuchiloglanis tawangensis (discovered in the Tawangchu river in Tawang district); the Garra ranganensis (discovered in the Ranga river); and the Physoschistura harkishorei (discovered in the Dibang and the Lohit rivers in Lower Dibang Valley district).