A Popular Aquarium Fish Had Not Been Described By Science

The redtail garra, a fish species that has enjoyed immense popularity in the aquarium trade since the early 2000s, has now been unveiled as a previously unknown species by the scientific community.

The ability to own a redtail garra, a type of algae-feeding fish, with just a few mouse clicks has been a convenience for enthusiasts. However, information regarding the fish’s biology has been scarce. Despite its worldwide appeal and prevalence in the aquarium trade, the redtail garra remained undiscovered by science until now.

While researchers had some peripheral knowledge of the fish’s existence, the classification as a new species required a scientific description based on specimens collected from their natural habitat. It turns out that redtail garras are confined to a small section of the river that straddles the Thailand-Myanmar border. Due to the remote and inaccessible nature of the area, wild redtail garras have remained relatively obscure despite their popularity.

Larry Page, the curator of ichthyology at the Florida Museum of Natural History, has been conducting surveys of fish in Thailand annually since 2007. During his recent fieldwork along the Kasat River, a tributary of the Ataran River in neighboring Myanmar, he encountered a few redtail garras.

“When we first collected specimens, we thought it must be widespread in Myanmar because of its popularity in the aquarium trade. But it turns out it’s not. It’s only in the Ataran River basin,” he remarked.

Page and his colleagues documented the new species in a work in the journal Zootaxa. The redtails now join nearly 200 other species in the diverse and widely distributed genus Garra, found across streams and rivers stretching from western Africa to the Middle East, India, southern and eastern Asia, including parts of China. Despite their ubiquity, there has been a noticeable lack of research on this fish group.

Page remarked, “There’s surprisingly little information on their natural history.”

Few studies have comprehensively assessed the genus’s diversity, and little is known about the relationships between different groups within Garra or how they have evolved.

Basic information about the fishes’ biology exists, primarily in the form of studies on individual species or specific regions.

Page explained, “Most of them live in fast-moving water, and they have a disclike structure formed from a modification of the lower lip, which they use as an adhesive pad to cling to rocks and maintain their position in the water column as they feed.”

Garra mainly subsist on algae and occasionally consume arthropods by scraping detritus off rocks using specialized mouthparts. Similar to other species in the genus, redtails lack stomachs and possess snouts covered in modified and hardened scales called tubercles. While these structures are temporary in other fish groups, used for defending nests and shed after the breeding season, redtail tubercles are permanent and seem to function as weapons based on observed aggressive behavior in aquarium settings.

Redtail garra can be identified by their elongated snouts adorned with numerous tubercles, which they can raise or lower as a means of intimidating opponents during aggressive encounters. Additionally, their tails are vividly colored in red, hence their common name.

Their unique coloration and their industrious ability to eliminate algae make them highly sought-after for aquarium tanks. However, the delayed scientific description of the redtail garra highlights the urgent need to assess biodiversity in understudied regions.

Page, who is currently working on a book about the fishes of Thailand’s Mae Klong River basin, emphasized that the late identification of redtail garra is part of a recurring pattern.

“Many of the fishes in Southeast Asia are referred to by names given to species discovered in India or Indonesia because they look similar.”

While people are aware of the existence of specific species, they often mistake them for those found in different geographical areas, leading to a significant underestimation of their diversity.

Page and his colleagues honored Nonn Panitvong, an author of a book on Thailand’s fishes, by naming the new species Garra panitvongi. Panitvong, recognized as a biodiversity hero by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is both a businessman and a passionate naturalist. His love for nature developed during his childhood while translating English books about animals with his mother’s assistance. His father, who took him on fishing trips, cultivated his special appreciation for Thailand’s aquatic life.

Panitvong added, “Over the years, I found that in many of the places we went fishing, the environments were getting worse. There were fewer fish overall, and the fish assemblage changed for the worse, with a decreasing number of native species and more invasives.”

While Panitvong obtained a Master of Business Administration to effectively manage his family’s sugarcane farm, he pursued a doctorate in environmental science. Upon returning to Thailand, he created the website Siamensis.org, an open platform where nature enthusiasts could exchange information about Thailand’s flora and fauna and plan excursions to wilderness areas.

In 2006, Panitvong and a friend discovered one of Thailand’s redtail garra populations and introduced them to the aquarium trade. Now, more than 15 years later, he believes that the official recognition of the redtail garra and similar species contributes to a better understanding of our world.

He shared his perspective, stating, “I like to imagine humanity in a big room, painted in white. As we turned around, we would have no conception of which direction we were facing.

“With each new discovery, a dot is added, a point made, and we know more and more about where we stand as a species.”