‘Long’-headed creature found in river of South Africa. It’s a new species
In a small river of South Africa, a “long”-headed creature swam through the water with several other animals. Its “silvery-white” body glinted in the light. Something about it caught the attention of nearby scientists — and for good reason.
It turned out to be a new species.
A team of researchers visited several rivers near the southernmost tip of Africa in 2023 and 2024 as part of decadeslong project to document and classify a group of fish known as redfin minnows, according to a study published July 30 in the peer-reviewed journal Zoosystematics and Evolution.
During their field work, researchers used nets to catch a few dozen minnows, the study said. Initially, the fish seemed to match a known species, but when researchers took a closer look at them and analyzed their DNA, they realized they’d discovered a new species: Pseudobarbus agulhas, or the Agulhas redfin.
Agulhas redfins have “compressed” bodies reaching about 3.5 inches in length, the study said. Their “long” heads have a “short” snout, “sickle-shaped” mouth and four whisker-like barbels.
Photos show the “silvery-white” coloring of the new species. As its name implies, the fish has “bright scarlet” spots at the base of its fins. Its back is also “adorned with sooty dark brown spots and blotches,” researchers said.
Agulhas redfins are “found in pools and streams,” researchers said. Newly hatched fish and juveniles gathered in “large shoals” while adult fish gathered in “small groups.”
The new species is an omnivore, feeding on “on algae and small invertebrates,” and “breeds during summer, spawning in riffles above pools,” the study said.
Researchers said they named the new species after Cape Agulhas, “the southernmost point of the African continent,” because of its “ecological significance, which supports a rich diversity of both marine and freshwater species.”
So far, the new species has only been found in two inland rivers near Cape Agulhas, South Africa, the study said.
Agulhas redfins are considered endangered because of their “limited distribution” and the threat of “water extractions for domestic and agricultural use, as well as introduced alien fish,” researchers said.
The new species was identified by its DNA, scale pattern, body proportions, teeth, fin shape and other subtle physical features, the study said.
The research team included Fatah Zarei, Melissa Martin, Paul Skelton and Albert Chakona.
This story was originally published July 31, 2025 at 9:51 AM with the headline "‘Long’-headed creature found in river of South Africa. It’s a new species."
