Shipazi resurfaces in Xingshan after 40 years
2025-03-21 19:03:57
By Tan Maolin.
A wild fish species known as Euchiloglanis spp., or Shipazi in Chinese, has been rediscovered in the Jiuchong River near Baizhu Village in Nanyang Town, Xingshan County. This fish was believed to have disappeared locally for 40 years.
On the morning of March 13, Hu Minghai, head of Yichang Zhaojun Native Fisheries Development Co., Ltd., discovered a peculiar fish clinging to a rock in the drainage ditch of his aquaculture farm. "I recognized it instantly as a stone-climbing loach," Hu said of the 8-centimeter-long, flat-headed fish.
The species was last documented in the 1980s by researchers from Huazhong Agricultural University and has not been recorded in fish surveys since. Hu, now 63 and a lifelong local, recalls that the Shipazi fish has not been seen in the area for four decades.
Researchers have confirmed that the fish belongs to the Euchiloglanis genus, but further analysis is needed to identify the specific species. Its juvenile status suggests a healthy adult population and active breeding in the river.
The discovery will be included in the Xiangxi River Basin fish survey. The institute's museum will archive the data and preserve the specimen, contributing to the understanding of Shennongjia's aquatic biodiversity and conservation efforts.
Wan Chunfeng contributed to this story.
A wild fish species known as Euchiloglanis spp., or Shipazi in Chinese, has been rediscovered in the Jiuchong River near Baizhu Village in Nanyang Town, Xingshan County. This fish was believed to have disappeared locally for 40 years.
On the morning of March 13, Hu Minghai, head of Yichang Zhaojun Native Fisheries Development Co., Ltd., discovered a peculiar fish clinging to a rock in the drainage ditch of his aquaculture farm. "I recognized it instantly as a stone-climbing loach," Hu said of the 8-centimeter-long, flat-headed fish.
The species was last documented in the 1980s by researchers from Huazhong Agricultural University and has not been recorded in fish surveys since. Hu, now 63 and a lifelong local, recalls that the Shipazi fish has not been seen in the area for four decades.
Researchers have confirmed that the fish belongs to the Euchiloglanis genus, but further analysis is needed to identify the specific species. Its juvenile status suggests a healthy adult population and active breeding in the river.
The discovery will be included in the Xiangxi River Basin fish survey. The institute's museum will archive the data and preserve the specimen, contributing to the understanding of Shennongjia's aquatic biodiversity and conservation efforts.
Wan Chunfeng contributed to this story.
