‘Spiny’ river creature with ‘numerous’ pointy teeth discovered as new species in China
In a river of southern China, a “spiny” creature swam through the water with its “numerous” pointy teeth, ready for its next meal. But something caught the scaly animal and hauled it to the surface.
It turned out to be a new species.
Researchers visited several waterways in Guangxi province between 2021 and 2023 to survey fish, according to a study published June 19 in the peer-reviewed Biodiversity Data Journal.
During their visits, researchers caught 13 unfamiliar-looking eels, the study said. They took a closer look and soon realized they’d discovered a new species: Sinobdella longitubulus, or the long-pipe spiny eel.
Long-pipe spiny eel can reach about 6.5 inches in length, the study said. Their “elongated” bodies are “covered with tiny scales.” Their “short and pointed” heads have “horse-shoe-shaped” mouths with “fleshy” lips and “numerous small, pointed teeth.”
A photo shows the yellow-brown coloring of a long-pipe spiny eel. Its long, skinny body has a dotted pattern almost like a pointillism-style painting.
Researchers said they named the new species after the Latin words “longus,” meaning “long,” and “tubulus,” meaning “pipe,” because of the “two longer tubes” extending internally from the eels’ nostrils.
Long-pipe spiny eels were found in “shallow running waters” with “pebbles, cobbles, gravel and boulders,” the study said.
So far, the new species has only been found in streams and rivers of Guangxi province, the study said. This autonomous region is in southern China and borders Vietnam.
The new species was identified by its coloring, nostrils, fins, skeleton and DNA, the study said.
The research team included Peng Shan, Guangyu Li and E. Zhang.
This story was originally published June 24, 2024 at 1:15 PM with the headline "‘Spiny’ river creature with ‘numerous’ pointy teeth discovered as new species in China."
