CHANDEL: In an extraordinary achievement in the field of zoology in Manipur, Dr. B. D. Shangningam and her team of scientists have discovered a new species of rheophilic catfish — Glyptothorax ahangkyensis. This marks Dr. Shangningam’s second discovery in two months and the 37th fish species she has identified in her career. It may be recalled that in September 2025, Dr. Shangningam and her research scholars made another remarkable discovery — a new fish species named Garra nambashiensis — in the Nambashi Valley, Manipur.
Related New Fish Species ‘Garra Nambashiensis’ Discovered and Named
The genus Glyptothorax Blyth is among the most diverse and widely distributed of the sisorid catfishes, inhabiting fast-flowing hill streams or rapid stretches of larger rivers. It is characterised by the presence of a thoracic adhesive apparatus comprising an elliptical field of folded skin pleats, a detached distal portion of the premaxilla, and long, thin lateral arms of the vomer that extend under the entire length of the articular process of the lateral ethmoid.
Glyptothorax ahangkyensis can be distinguished from all its relatives in the Indian subcontinent by the following combination of characters: the presence of reticulated skin ridges on the ventral surface of the pectoral spine and the first ray of the pelvic fin; an ovate, leaf-shaped thoracic adhesive apparatus extending from the isthmus toward the middle of the pectoral-fin base; tuberculated skin on the body; a dorsal spine with an unserrated posterior margin; a pectoral-fin spine bearing 13–15 serrae; a dorsal fin located closer to the tip of the snout than to the adipose-fin origin; a short nasal barbel not reaching the anterior margin of the eye; maxillary barbels extending beyond the pectoral-fin base; a saddle-like anterior nuchal plate with W-shaped extensions; and two longitudinal light-brown stripes — one along the mid-dorsal line and another along the lateral line.
The Ahangky River, commonly known as the Irang River, originates north of Nbena village along the boundary between Old Nbena and Nongmai villages in Kangpokpi District, Manipur. As a major tributary of the Barak River, it flows through the hilly terrain of Kangpokpi, Tamenglong, Noney, and Pherzawl districts. The river harbours a diverse group of torrent hill-stream fish that exhibit specialised physiological and behavioural traits enabling them to cope with seasonal hydrological fluctuations.
A collection of fish from the Ahangky River at Machengluang village, Tamenglong District, Manipur, yielded the undescribed specimens of Glyptothorax, which are evidently distinct from their congeners. The species is currently known only from its type locality — the Ahangky River in Machengluang village (Barak–Meghna–Surma River drainage system). The habitat where the new species was collected comprises swift, turbulent water currents with pebble, cobble, and rocky substrates. Riparian forests adjacent to the river play a critical ecological role: they help regulate water temperature through shading, contribute organic detritus essential for aquatic food webs, and stabilise riverbanks, reducing erosion and sedimentation.
The new species was collected alongside other genera, including Barilius, Channa, Devario, Garra, Lepidocephalichthys, Mastacembelus, Psilorhynchus, and Schistura.
Dr. B. D. Shangningam Anal has firmly established herself as one of the most reputed and prolific scientists from the Northeast. She belongs to the Anal Naga community of Chakpikarong village in Chandel District.