Néstor Javier Mancera, associate professor in Agriculture Sciences department at the Colombian National University explained the discovery of the new species was done by comparative analysis of fish species already registered and classified.
During the research, 25 fish species were caught from Magdalena river, in Eastern Antioquia region.
After catching them, the comparative analysis was carried out. The fish bone structure was compared in this study. After the comparison, researchers concluded that the three new species found did not belong to any known species.
The new species were named as: Hemibrycon fasciatus, Hemibrycon cardalensis and Hemibrycon antioquiae.
The new species are small (no bigger than 8-9 cm) and, therefore, are not considered good for human consumption. However, they are believed to be relevant to their ecosystem because they serve as feed for commercial fish species.
César Román, from Quindio University, highlighted that South American fish fauna is yet to be discovered compared to other regions, which are less diverse than the South American fauna, like, for example, the European fauna.
