Meet the ‘crow fish’: New dark freshwater species discovered in Karnataka’s Cauvery basin

Mangaluru: A black freshwater fish, locally known as ‘kaage meenu', has been identified as a new species during freshwater biodiversity exploration studies in the Cauvery river basin of Karnataka by scientists from the PAGR Centre of the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBFGR), Kochi. The species has been named Labeo kaage.The discovery was made by researchers Rahul G Kumar, Charan Ravi, Krishnaprasoon NP and VS Basheer and their findings were recently published in the Journal of Fish Biology.According to researcher Charan Ravi, the name ‘kaage' is derived from the Kannada word for crow, inspired by the fish's body colour. The species belongs to the ‘dark labeo' group of fish found in rivers of the Western Ghats.Earlier in 2025, the same team discovered two other dark-coloured species — Labeo chekida from the Chalakkudy river in Kerala and Labeo uru from the Chandragiri river in Kerala, bordering Dakshina Kannada district.While Labeo chekida is locally known as ‘kaka chekida', another crow-inspired name, Labeo uru was named after the traditional wooden dhow, or ‘uru', of the Malabar coast, owing to its elongated sail-like fins.The researchers also resolved a long-standing taxonomic puzzle surrounding Labeo nigrescens, the dark labeo first described in 1870, clarifying its identity and resolving years of confusion surrounding the group.The discoveries underline that rivers of the Western Ghats continue to harbour unique and undocumented freshwater species. Scientists, however, warn that these ecosystems face increasing threats from habitat destruction, dam construction, pollution and river modification, and that many species could disappear before being scientifically recorded.VS Basheer, project principal investigator, said continued scientific exploration and conservation-focused research are crucial to protecting India's freshwater biodiversity.