‘Territorial’ creature seen headbutting rivals in river of China. It’s a new species
In a rocky river of southern China swam a “territorial” creature. Noticing a potential trespasser, the aggressive animal flared its fins and headbutted the rival.
Visiting scientists watched the interaction before scooping up the aggressor. It turned out to be a new species.
Researchers visited several waterways in Yunnan and Guangxi between 2022 and 2024 to survey aquatic life, according to a study published July 9 in the peer-reviewed journal Zoosystematics and Evolution.
Equipped with nets, researchers caught dozens of “broad”-headed fish, the study said. They took a closer look at the animals and quickly realized they’d discovered a new species: Beaufortia granulopinna, or the grainy-finned loach fish.
Grainy-finned loach fish can reach just under 3 inches in length, the study said. They have “broad” heads, “flattened” stomachs and “fins extending outwards, forming (a) disc-like structure.”
Photos show the unique body shape of a grainy-finned loach fish. Seen from above, they almost look like stingrays. “These adaptations enable (loaches) to adhere to the rocky substrate, resisting the currents while feeding on algae and invertebrates,” researchers said.
Researchers said they named the new species “granulopinna” after the Latin words “granulo,” meaning “grainy,” and “pinna,” meaning “fin,” because of the bumps on its fins.
Grainy-finned loach fish vary in color from “dark brown to green” but typically have a “metallic, green” line running down their sides, the study said.
Photos show a grayish loach with dark brown blotches. The edges of its fins and its stomach are a creamy white. Another set of photos show an army green loach with dark brown blotches.
Grainy-finned loach fish live in “shallow streams with rapid currents and smooth pebble substrates,” the study said. They feed on “algae and small invertebrates” as well as “mucus from fresh fish carcasses.”
The new species “exhibits strong territorial behavior and aggression,” researchers said. Some fish were seen flaring their fins and headbutting rivals to drive them away.
So far, grainy-finned loach fish have been found in waterways of two provinces, Yunnan and Guangxi, in southern China, the study said. These provinces border Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
The new species was identified by its coloring, fins, body shape, DNA and other physical features, the study said.
The research team included Jing-Chen Chen, Jia-Jia Li, Wen-Qiao Tang, Xin-Rui Pu and Hao-Tian Lei. The team also discovered a second new species of loach.
