Scientists collecting fishes in the Chindwin river on the India-Myanmar border have discovered a new danio that bears a remarkable resemblance to the Zebra danio, (Danio rerio).
Te Yu Liao, Sven Kullander and wife Fang Fang describe the new fish Danio quagga and claim it differs from rerio in having four dark bands above the pectoral fin, rather than three, and no dark bands on the caudal fin lobes.
Kullander said the team seined a pool and caught what appeared to be a Zebra danio — a species found far away in India. They were unable to catch any others but purchased four more from a fish market.
Danio quagga, named after the zebra-like mammal of the same name, is said to be most similar to Danio kyathit. This species from northern Myanmar has a pattern of rows of tiny spots.
However, specimens of kyathit collected from Kamaing and the upper Chindwin basin that bear solid stripes or mix of spots and stripes are also known, and at least one is sold in the shops here.