Thousands of fish species — about 2,500 of them named — live in the Amazon riverbut scientists estimate that nearly half of the sea creatures that inhabit this immense expanse of water have yet to be discovered.
While studying piranhas and pacu in an effort to better assess the vital biodiversity of fish in the 4,000-mile-long river, an international team of researchers found and identified a new species of pacu, a piranha relative with a plant-based diet and teeth. similar to those of humans.
In addition to its strange pearly teeth, the new species has striking orange and black markings — including a bold vertical black bar running down its side — that researchers say resemble the symbol of burning eye of the villain Sauron from the series of books written by JRR Tolkien, which were later adapted into films in the films “The Lord of the Rings. The marks inspired the name of the fish, Myloplus sauronaccording to a study published on Monday in Neotropical Ichthyology magazine.
“The co-authors and I thought (the name) would be a good idea — it really looks like the eye of Sauron,” said study co-author Victória Pereira, a postgraduate student in biology at Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio Mesquita Filho (Unesp), in Botucatu (SP). The researchers hoped the pop culture reference would draw attention to the fish and efforts to protect biodiversity in the Amazon, Pereira added.
The flashy fish isn’t the only animal named after Tolkien’s Dark Lord. One genus of butterflies it was found in May 2023 with spots that looked like eyes on its wings, reminding researchers of the well-known symbol from the trilogy. There is also a species of tree frog, a dung beetle, and a genus of dinosaurs named after the character.
The confusion surrounding pacus
In addition to Myloplus sauronresearchers also discovered the species Myloplus aylan, which they described as having a slightly thicker black bar on its side. The gender Myloplus belongs to the fish family Serrasalmidaewhich is made up of species of piranhas and pacus.
Because piranhas and pacus are closely related and have similar characteristics, differentiating the species can be difficult, the study authors noted. Both pacu and piranha species can change appearance throughout the various stages of their lives, and males and females often look different from each other, which also makes it difficult to distinguish the different species, according to the History Museum Born in London.
Myloplus sauron It is Myloplus aylan they have flat, blunt teeth used for chewing plants, in sharp contrast to the sharp teeth found in piranhas, but similar to those of other pacu. While some piranha species are known for their carnivorous diets, all pacus species are primarily herbivorous.
Previously, these two new species were grouped with another fish, Myloplus schomburgkii, due to the common design of the black mark on the rounded body of the fish. However, through closer inspection and DNA analysis, researchers discovered that three different species shared the same eye-catching design.
Researchers hope to study Myloplus sauron It is Myloplus aylan deeper to learn more about its evolution and relationship with other species, said Pereira.
“People who study pacus recognized some time ago that there were multiple species ‘hiding in plain sight,’” said Matthew Kolmann, an assistant professor in the biology department at the University of Louisville in Kentucky who has studied the fish. He was not involved in the new study.
“The size of the Amazon and other basins, and their inaccessibility, make it a place of constant discovery,” Kolmann said in an email. “What this means is that it has and will continue to require generations of effort from scientists to increase our knowledge of the field.”
Impact of pacus on their ecosystem
Pacus are important to their ecosystem largely due to their role in seed dispersal through their mostly fruit diet, which makes them vital to the growth of rainforest trees and other plants. Fish tend to spread seeds far from their parent plants, helping to expand the forest and limit diseases that spread easily through crowded trees, Kolmann said.
By discovering and identifying species that live in certain ecosystems, researchers will be able to better lead conservation efforts to protect animals that are endangered or at risk, Kolmann said. This is particularly important for areas like the Amazon, which are threatened by habitat destruction, she added.
“We run the very real risk of losing thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of species before we even know they exist and, as a result, never understanding how these species contribute to a healthy, functioning ecosystem,” Kolmann said. “Inventorying which species are found where, and when, is the first step in any future conservation effort.”
2,500-year-old interconnected cities discovered in the Amazon
Share:
