F

our new freshwater species have been found in rivers in southwestern Sumatra, a student at George Washington University in the United States revealed recently.

Daniel Natanael Lumbantobing, an Indonesian student at the university’s biology department, said in an email sent to Antara news agency that the four new fish species were part of the Cyprinidae family, called Rasbora api, Rasbora nodulosa, Rasbora kluetensis and Rasbora truncata.

“The interesting one is Rasbora api. I chose the name [api means fire] because of its dorsal fins and its tail is orange, like a flame, hence the name,” he said.

Rasbora api is distinguishable from other Rasbora fish species by the dark band that runs along its body and its conical cephalic tubercle (lump on its head). The Rasbora nodulosa has a smaller cephalic tubercle.

Daniel’s research was published in a scientific journal titled “Copeia by The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists” in December.

He found the new fishes when he was making an inventory of freshwater fishes in Aceh’s western coastal waters and North Sumatra throughout July and August 2006.

He said a vastly diverse Rasbora fish family could be found in Indonesia. The number of Rasbora species recognized in the scientific world is more than 50 but there are many that are not recorded, he said.