Generales

By Carlos Olimpo Restrepo S., Journalist at UdeA Communications Office

The Ichthyology Group at the Universidad de Antioquia (Giua) announced the discovery of two new fish species in Colombia. This research involved a Master’s Biology student and professors from the Institute of Biology, the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences at UdeA, and various universities worldwide. “Rineloricaria giua” and “Rineloricaria atratoensis” inhabit the Magdalena-Cauca and Atrato basins, respectively.

Researchers captured a specimen of Rineloricaria giua in the Tucuy River, near La Jagua de Ibirico, in the Magdalena basin. Photo: UdeA Ichthyology Collection.

Biological collections act as repositories of biodiversity and the environmental contexts in which organisms thrive. They house vast amounts of material and data on diverse species, offering vital resources for scientists to further their research on biodiversity without the need to venture into remote or inaccessible areas.

In their research, scientists often make discoveries that set new milestones across various fields. A notable example is the Ichthyology Group at the Universidad de Antioquia (Giua), which recently announced the discovery of two new fish species in Colombia.

Scientists from the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences at UdeA named the two species Rineloricaria giua to honor the research group and Rineloricaria atratoensis after their place of origin. These species inhabit the Magdalena-Cauca and Atrato basins, respectively.

Luz Fernanda Jiménez-Segura, coordinator of Giua, explained, “The Ichthyology Collection at the Universidad de Antioquia serves as a repository of fish diversity in our country. This milestone in fish diversity stems from research by professors and students of the Ichthyology Group.” The genus Rineloricaria, named for its nose (Greek rhinos) and armor-like skin (Latin lorica), includes freshwater fish inhabiting rivers across Central and South America.

Camila Castellanos Mejía, a graduate of the Master’s program in Biology at Alma Mater, was the lead investigator on the project and responsible for describing the two new species. She discovered this during the second semester of 2022. “I started by examining Colombia’s biological collections to identify species previously described. When I reached the Universidad del Atlántico’s collection in Barranquilla, I noticed some individuals that didn’t match the characteristics of Rineloricaria magdalenae, the species previously described for the Magdalena-Cauca basin. It was the first indication that I had found something new in our rivers,” she said.

Shortly after, he found more specimens in the University of Tolima’s collection that resembled those observed in the north of the country, though researchers had identified them as R. magdalenae.

Almost simultaneously, in the Universidad de Antioquia’s collection, “I observed specimens labeled as Rineloricaria jubata, a species from the Atrato and other rivers in the Pacific basin. However, their characteristics made it clear that they didn’t match,” explained researcher Castellanos. She then used genetic analysis to confirm that the differences were not just morphological but also reflected in their DNA.

“For the species from the Magdalena-Cauca basin, the first I discovered, I named it Rineloricaria giua to honor the group that supported my research. I called the other Rineloricaria atratoensis because it is the only species of its genus in the Atrato basin after we ruled out the presence of R. jubata there,” the scientist explained.

The importance of an alliance

Researchers captured a specimen of Rineloricaria atratoensis in the Chageradó channel, Murindó, in the Atrato basin. Photo: UdeA Ichthyology Collection.

The description of the two new species stemmed from the BIO agreement, which has been in effect since 2017 between UdeA and Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM). “This project involved expeditions to different basins, where I found live specimens in several locations. These specimens displayed new characteristics identified in the collections. After analyzing their DNA, I photographed, observed, and concluded that they represented a species very different from those previously described in the country,” explained Camila Castellanos Mejía.

This agreement, initiated by Professor Luz Jiménez-Segura from the Institute of Biology at the Universidad de Antioquia and Andrés Felipe Galeano from EPM, enabled biologist Castellanos Mejía to achieve this milestone. The project received support from researchers Carlos DoNascimiento, a professor at the Universidad de Antioquia; Carlos García Alzate from the Universidad del Atlántico; Alejandro Londoño Burbano from the Fundación Miguel Lillo in Argentina; and Luz Eneida Ochoa, a professor at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. On October 16, the research team published the findings in the scientific journal Ichthyology & Herpetology.

Professor Jiménez highlighted the contribution of graduate students, noting, “Their curiosity about biodiversity has driven the description of new species and the development of new research questions, which aim to tackle the challenges emerging from our analysis results.” Along with the two fish species already described, the team is also working on identifying new species within the Astroblepus, Hemibrycon, and Trichomycterus genera as part of this larger macro project.

The professor further explained, “The BIO agreement encourages collaboration between the company and academia to create new knowledge, enabling the integration of innovative strategies into the management plans developed by the hydroelectric sector for reservoir management. These strategies involve designing and applying non-lethal methods to study forest and water diversity, as well as gaining a deeper understanding of species ecology.”

Luz Fernanda Jiménez emphasized, “This alliance with EPM has greatly benefited the Universidad de Antioquia. We firmly believe that the knowledge and skills our students acquire can play a crucial role in making decisions that protect biodiversity.”