 |
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
iciHaiti - Environment : 3 students discover a new species of fish 15/05/2020 10:07:10
Located in the center of the Caribbean, the island of Hispaniola is divided between the Republic of Haiti in the west, and the Dominican Republic in the east. With 18 endemic Limia species, compared to only one species for Cuba, Jamaica and Grand Cayman, Hispaniola is considered to be the main source of endemism for fish belonging of this astonishing genus. Limia have the particularity of being ovoviviparous fish, which means that the eggs hatch in the mother's body, which therefore gives birth to already formed young. Of the 18 species, 9 are endemic to Lake Miragoâne. Despite this wealth, no scientific study has examined the fauna of Lake Miragoâne since the 1980s. It was time for these three Caribbean students to join forces ! It all started for our 3 young researchers during the fourth edition of the Caribaea Initiative Research & Conservation Conference (CIRCC), organized by the "Association Caribaea Initiative" in the Dominican Republic, where all the authors meet to present their work. This annual meeting is a good place for networking and the development of new collaborations on the scale of the Caribbean island. A month later, with the enthusiastic support of the "Caribaea Initiative", the three students organize a field mission to Lake Miragoâne. Fishing is fruitful. In the nets, the appearance of a small fish calls out, in particular because of its surprisingly well developed lower jaw. A complete morphological analysis will reveal what the students suspected at the time : it is indeed an unknown species. It is quite logical that it will be called "Limia mandibularis", from the Latin "mandibula" meaning "jaw". This discovery is all the more gratifying for these students at the start of their careers because new descriptions of vertebrates are rather rare, particularly in Haiti. Our three students are preparing a new article on the fish of Lake Miragoâne and the threats to their diversity. The work recently developed by James Josaphat as part of his doctoral thesis should also allow better management and conservation of fish of the genus Limia in freshwater environments in Haiti. IH/ iciHaiti
|
|
|
Why IciHaiti ? |
Contact us |
Français
Copyright © 2010 - 2024 IciHaiti.com |