New DiscoveryOn a field trip to Wadi Al Wurayah, the UAE's newly protected mountain area in the Hajar Mountains of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, on Friday the 26th June 2009, Dr. Norman Ali Khalaf-von Jaffa, claims to have discovered a new subspecies of blind cave fish (Garra barreimiae) in the pool waters.
Dr Khalaf, a zoologist from Sharjah said, “They resemble aquarium catfish as they nuzzle their way over gravel and rock surfaces, but they dart about frantically when approached in shallow pools where they are vulnerable to terrestrial and avian predators.”
New Color and New Size
This new subspecies is distinguished from the other three subspecies of Garra barreimiae living in Bahrain, Oman and United Arab Emirates, by its distinctive body colouration and its small size.
New Name
Dr Khalaf has given the new subspecies the scientific name ‘Garra barreimiae wurayahi’ or its common name in English, ‘Emirati Blind Cave Fish, Wadi Al Wurayah.’
Further
Read more about the discovery and the fish at:
A New Species of Blind Cave Fish, Marine Animal News, 6 July 2009.
Note
Dr Khalaf was accompanied on this trip by his wife Ola and daughter Nora.
Note
Dr Khalaf was accompanied on this trip by his wife Ola and daughter Nora.
Dr Geoff Pound
Image: The Garra Barreimiae Wurayahi (photo courtesy of Dr Khalaf at the above link)
Image: The Garra Barreimiae Wurayahi (photo courtesy of Dr Khalaf at the above link)
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