NASA warns: The Amazon is drying up 0:34
(CNN) --
Researchers have found two new species of colorful fish in the Amazon basin, and they're already on the endangered species list.
The fish belong to a subfamily called the South American freshwater cyprinid fish.
The discovery brings the known number of freshwater cyprinid species to five.
Researchers have found a new species of fish, Poecilocharax callipterus, in the Amazon basin.
One species, Poecilocharax callipterus, is distinguished by its long, conspicuous orange-red fins and a dark spot at the base of its tail.
The other new species, Poecilocharax rhizophilus, is the smallest freshwater cyprinid ever identified.
This tiny fish is only about two centimeters long as an adult.
It is bright yellow with a black stripe along the flanks and has a silvery-white belly.
Tiny Poecilocharax rhizophilus never seems to exceed one inch in length, according to a new study.
A study describing the two new species and the threats to their environment was published Monday in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
advertising
Deforestation and other human impacts are pushing the Amazon rainforest toward a tipping point that would turn this biologically rich and diverse ecosystem into a grassy savannah, and those stressors can be felt both below the surface of the water and above it.
Study author Murilo Pastana, a postdoctoral researcher at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, and colleagues saw evidence of this during their 2015-2016 expeditions.
"It was exciting to find new species," Pastana said.
"But in the field, we saw the forest on fire, logging trucks taking away huge trees, and cleared patches turned into cattle pasture. This made us feel a great urgency to document these species and publish this work as soon as possible."
Amazon near tipping point of becoming savannah, study suggests
an unexpected find
Pastana, born in Brazil, and his colleagues undertook the expeditions, financed by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), to better understand the diversity and evolution of fish such as tetras, piranhas and others in the waterways of the basin of the Madeira River, rich in fish biodiversity.
The researchers packed food, supplies, medicine and scientific instruments for multiple two-week trips, during which the team camped by rivers and streams, Pastana said.
"These expeditions are complicated to organize and attend to. Most of the Amazon remains disconnected from Brazil's road maps, and access is only possible through rivers or dirt roads," he said.
"We went to test places that have never been visited by scientists."
The researchers, including Murilo Pastana (center) of the Smithsonian and Willian Ohara (right) of the Federal University of Rondônia, collect fish on the riverbank near Apuí, Brazil.
The area is like a border between new cities and native forest as deforestation moves north, he said.
The region lies about 40 kilometers north of the Brazilian city of Apuí and is home to one of the highest rates of deforestation, meaning the roads that helped Pastana and his colleagues reach streams, tributaries and ponds also form part of the increasing loss of habitat.
When the researchers lowered their fishing nets and traps into the water, they were surprised to find fish they didn't recognize.
"The last species of Poecilocharax was described in 1965, more than half a century ago," explains Pastana.
"So seeing these fish in our net was a huge wow moment."
The scientists photographed and preserved the fish for study at the Zoology Museum of the University of São Paulo.
Poecilocharax callipterus was found in a blackwater stream, where the waters are stained by tannins that seep from fallen leaves and turn them brown.
Despite a follow-up trip to locate this fish in other waterways, it has only been found in a single stream covering about 4 square kilometers.
Poecilocharax callipterus lives in blackwater rivers, colored by the tannins of fallen leaves.
The second species, the tiny Poecilocharax rhizophilus, was seen digging through the tangled roots that protrude from the banks of muddy streams.
"Miniaturization is rare among fish, and only about 100 of the 2,700 fish known from the Amazon are considered miniature," Pastana said.
Drought kills tons of fish in Brazil 0:42
already at risk
Pastana and his co-authors, including Willian Ohara, from the Federal University of Rondônia, and Priscila Camelier, from the Federal University of Bahia, believe that the fish could already be "under threat of extinction" and are at risk of becoming in endangered species.
Given that the habitat in which these fish are found is small and shrinking, and that they may be of interest to the aquarium hobbyist market, Pastana hopes that the discovery and naming of the species could stimulate the Brazilian government. to carry out conservation efforts.
The male Poecilocharax callipterus includes a range of orange and red hues.
"Losing any of these species would be like losing priceless masterpieces," he said.
More than 10,000 species are in danger of extinction in the Amazon, according to a huge study
The data collected by Pastana and colleagues "should be enough to classify both species as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and Poecilocharax callipterus could even be classified as Critically Endangered," he said.
Meanwhile, the Amazon remains vulnerable as mining, logging and farming practices continue, and Pastana is concerned about the lack of measures to restrict these illegal activities.
Pastana may be involved in more research to better understand the new fish species, but his main focus "will be other species that are as yet unnamed."
Some of them come from areas with similar impacts and I hope they get a name before their habitat is destroyed," he said.
AmazonBrazilFish