‘Slender’ river creature with ‘fleshy’ lips found in Beijing. It’s a new species
In a river of Beijing, China, a “slender” creature with “fleshy” lips swam through the plants. Or at least, it tried to, but something pulled it toward the surface.
Scientists looked at their catch — and realized they’d discovered a new species.
Researchers visited the Chaobaihe River in the outskirts of Beijing several times in 2024 to search for a group of fish they suspected were being misidentified, according to a study published Jan. 2 in the peer-reviewed journal Zoosystematics and Evolution.
At the river, researchers caught dozens of bottom-dwelling fish that didn’t quite match any known species, the study said. Intrigued, they searched through museum archives, found dozens of similar-looking specimens and analyzed the animals’ DNA.
The results? They’d discovered a new species: Cobitis beijingensis, or the Beijing spined loach.
Beijing spined loaches are considered “small,” reaching less than 3 inches in length, the study said. They have “slender,” “elongated” bodies covered in “tiny” scales. Their heads have a “blunt” snout, “small” eyes and “fleshy” lips.
Photos show the “yellowish brown” coloring of the new species. Its face has a “black stripe or ‘tear mark’” running from its snout across its eye to the top of its head.
Beijing spined loaches are bottom-dwellers that prefer “slow-flowing water or still water with plenty of submerged plants,” the study said.
Researchers said they named the new species after Beijing, the capital city of China, where it was first discovered and primarily lives.
Based on archived specimens collected from the 1930s onward, researchers concluded the Beijing spined loach was once relatively abundant but its population declined as the city developed. Now, the new species is found in only one river system in Beijing.
The new species was identified by its fin shape, skeleton, coloring and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 8% genetic divergence from other spined loach species.
The research team included Zhi-Xian Sun, Xue-Yuan Li, Xue-Jian Li, Jun-Yuan Hao, Dong Sheng and Ya-Hui Zhao.
This story was originally published January 2, 2025 at 2:17 PM with the headline "‘Slender’ river creature with ‘fleshy’ lips found in Beijing. It’s a new species."
