SHOAL - THE FRESHWATER FISH SPECIES DESCRIBED IN 2022

SHOAL have just released the second of their annual edition New Species reports. New Species 2022 highlights the 201 freshwater fish species that were described in 2022, including some frankly terrifying-sounding vampire catfishes with names like Satan, Daemon and Vampyra, an eel loach that popped out of the showerhead when somebody was taking a wash, and a rather beautiful ‘black tiger’. 

Most of the species can be found in South America (43.8%) and Asia (33.8%), an unsurprising figure considering the incredible fish diversity in those regions, and the amount of research being done there. This stacks up closely with last year, when 44.3% of the freshwater fishes described were from South America, and 38.7% were from Asia.

The report also showcases four researchers who work tirelessly to discover and describe new species of freshwater fish, helping shine a light on them and highlight the threats they face, giving them a much greater chance of survival. 

The report is below and more details can be found on the SHOAL website