Rediscovered Species 2021

Batman loach returns: fish feared extinct found in Turkey

Scientists working on the Search For The Lost Fishes project have spotted the freshwater Batman River loach, which has not been seen since 1974

A freshwater fish that scientists thought was extinct has been found in south-east Turkey, after an absence of nearly 50 years.

“I’ve been researching this area for 12 years and this fish was always on my wishlist,” said Dr Cüneyt Kaya, associate professor at Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University. “It’s taken a long time. When I saw the distinctive bands on the fish, I felt so happy. It was a perfect moment.”

The critically endangered Batman River loach (Paraschistura chrysicristinae), a tiny yellow-and-brown striped fish which grows to a maximum length of 3.6cm (1.4 inches), was previously found in streams and tributaries of the Batman and Ambar rivers, where it was last seen in 1974.

https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...red-extinct-for-decades-spotted-in-turkey-aoe
 
UngulateNerd92 said:
Batman loach returns: fish feared extinct found in Turkey

Scientists working on the Search For The Lost Fishes project have spotted the freshwater Batman River loach, which has not been seen since 1974

A freshwater fish that scientists thought was extinct has been found in south-east Turkey, after an absence of nearly 50 years.

“I’ve been researching this area for 12 years and this fish was always on my wishlist,” said Dr Cüneyt Kaya, associate professor at Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University. “It’s taken a long time. When I saw the distinctive bands on the fish, I felt so happy. It was a perfect moment.”

The critically endangered Batman River loach (Paraschistura chrysicristinae), a tiny yellow-and-brown striped fish which grows to a maximum length of 3.6cm (1.4 inches), was previously found in streams and tributaries of the Batman and Ambar rivers, where it was last seen in 1974.

https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...red-extinct-for-decades-spotted-in-turkey-aoe
Click to expand...

Here is another relevant article.

FOUND: An expedition team in southeast Turkey have rediscovered a freshwater fish that hasn’t been seen in nearly 50 years

Turkish ichthyologists have rediscovered populations of the critically endangered Batman River loach in two streams in southeast Turkey, the first time the tiny fish has been seen since 1974, and the first species rediscovered on Shoal and Re:wild’s top 10 most wanted lost fishes list, which launched in June 2021. “When I first heard about the Search for the Lost Fishes project, I was very happy,” said Cüynet Kaya, associate professor with Recep Tayyip Erdogan University. “Moreover, two of the 10 most wanted fish species were distributed in my country. It is a very different feeling when you see naturalists from foreign countries caring about an endemic species in your country and making efforts to save it. As a freshwater fish taxonomist, I thought that I should do my best for this project, and fortunately our efforts resulted in finding the first lost endemic and critically endangered Batman River loach.

FOUND: An expedition team in southeast Turkey have rediscovered a freshwater fish that hasn’t been seen in nearly 50 years
 
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