PERU fishing with guts to report…
Researchers in Brazil discovered a new species of fish that lives exclusively in caves and is threatened with extinction by the destruction of their environment.
The Ituglanis apothecary, discovered in a cave in the Brazilian state of Goiás, is a carnivorous species of less than 10 inches that has little pigmentation by the underground environment it inhabits, reported the Protection Boticario Group Foundation for Nature, institution funded the project.
This animal belongs to the group of troglobites, ie adapted to cave life, endemic to the Gruta da Tarimba, a cave in Nambaï (Goiás, Brazil).
“For being endemic to this region and the pressure that it suffers with livestock activities in the vicinity, the species is now threatened with extinction”According to Boticario Group Foundation.
“The damage caused by livestock reduces the ability of the environment to drain water into the cavern, which reduces the amount of food available and harms the species living there”Said Maria Elina Specialist Bichuette, one of the managers of discovery.
Bichuette, Researcher at the Federal University of Sao Carlos (Brazil), said cattle urine increases the concentration of urea and ammonia in the water, which also threatens the Fishes of the cave.
The species, named as a tribute to Boticario Group, was scientifically described in an article published in the latest issue of the Journal of the Brazilian Society of Zoology.
“Important data provided by the study provide subsidy to the Brazilian government to make decisions to protect biodiversity, such as the creation of environmental reserves in the region”Said the executive director of the Foundation Boticario Group, Malu Nunes.
According to his description, Ituglanis apothecary has elongated whiskers, small eyes and little pigmentation, so that your body is characterized by light colors.
One of its main features are a kind of small highly developed and located next to the gills, which used to bind and prevent drafts drag the teeth.
The species belongs to the genus of Ituglanis, which concentrates the fish that live in caves and usually do not have a well-developed vision, but other senses that allow you to be alert in the water.
According to Bichuette, the new species is the top predator in the food chain of the cave where he lives and feeds on invertebrates such as larvae and insects.
“Their extinction can cause an imbalance as they are responsible for population control of various species”He explained.
The specialist said that Brazil has great potential for the discovery of other species that live in caves.
“We have a huge wealth of ecosystems are being destroyed even before the meet. We currently have 10,000 to 12,000 registered caves, but the number of existing can reach 100,000”He said.
SOURCE: Elcomercio.pe
