Dawkinsia uttara, the northern filament barb, is a species of freshwater fish belonging to the family Cyprinidae.

Dawkinsia uttara
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Genus: Dawkinsia
Species:
D. uttara
Binomial name
Dawkinsia uttara
(Unmesh Katwate, Deepak Apte, Rajeev Raghavan 2020)

Etymology

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The genus name Dawkinsia was given in honour of the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, while the species name uttara refers to Uttara Katwate, mother of the species author Unmesh Katwate.[1]

Description

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Dawkinsia uttara is a small-sized fish, reaching up to 12 cm (4.7 in) in length. Phylogentically, Dawkinsia uttara is part of the "filamentosa" species group, differing from its closest congener Dawkinsia filamentosa in having a caudal fin with a narrower elongate black subdistal band and a terminal rather than subterminal mouth.[2]

Distribution and habitat

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Dawkinsia uttara is found in the upper reaches of the Kajali, Terekhol, and Jagbudi Rivers of Maharashtra in the northern Western Ghats. It inhabits shallow and slow-moving streams, where it feeds on small invertebrates.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "A new species of filament barb found in the Western Ghats". Deccan Herald. 24 November 2020.
  2. ^ a b Katwate, Unmesh; Apte, Deepak; Raghavan, Rajeev (November 2020). "Dawkinsia uttara, a new species of filament barb (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from the Western Ghats of India" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 70 (4): 717–730. doi:10.26049/VZ70-4-2020-11.