A new endemic species of fish, named Hemimyzon yushanensis, has been discovered near the Cishan River (旗山溪) and Laonong River (荖農溪) area, researchers said earlier this week.
The Yushan National Park Management Office commissioned National Taiwan Ocean University to conduct an ecological survey from 2022 to last year.
The newly discovered H yushanensis is more elongated and has a spotted back, compared with other species of the Hemimyzon family found in Taiwan, the office said on Monday.
Photo courtesy of the Yushan National Park Management Office
The team, headed by the university’s Institute of Marine Biology professor Chen I-shiung (陳義雄), submitted the findings to the international journal Zootaxa.
The Hemimyzon family is usually found in rapids with large amounts of highly dissolved oxygen, and their propagation relies on a stable supply of unpolluted running water, the office said.
The study, which was conducted across all three major water systems in the park — the Jhuoshuei River (濁水溪), the Siuguluan River (秀姑巒溪) and the Kaoping River (高屏溪) — was designed to probe into the park’s biodiversity, the office said.
The study also recorded how the increased presence of humans — a result of the government’s policies to encourage the public to be closer to nature — has affected local denizens, the office said.
The stability of stream ecosystems is essential for creating a functional and complete ecosystem, not only in the water, but also in the overall ecosystem, it said.
The office said it has always tried to conserve the ecosystems, but this cannot be achieved by the office alone, adding that the public needs to help with conservation efforts and not litter when visiting parks or disturb local wildlife.
Separately, National University of Tainan Department of Biological Sciences associate professor Huang Ming-chih (黃銘志) has also registered newly discovered DNA data with the US National Center for Biotechnology Information and has submitted his findings to the International Scientific Journal as of Jan 5.
When comparing samples of Bathynomus kensleyi and B jamesi, Huang’s team found that there were 59 different DNA positions amongst 596 known reading sequences, and that the two are separate species, contrary to what the late scientist James Lowry believed.
The findings show that B kensleyi is endemic to the eastern coast of Australia, concluding that “the correct species identity of Indian species other than Bathynomus keablei remains unknown.
Three of the four identified species, Bathynomus decemspinosus, B doederlini and B kensleyi, are shown to be misidentifications, as they do not occur in India and the only accepted record is that of Bathynomus keablei, according to Lowry and Dempsey’s 2006 study.
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard
GLOBAL: The slogan would be advertised in popular tourist destinations in North America and Europe, such as Champs-Elysees and Times Square, the agency said “Taiwan: Waves of Wonder” is to be the country’s new tourism slogan for the next 10 years, the Tourism Administration said yesterday, adding that it would be showcased in commercials at the Olympic Games in Paris and other major cities and travel fairs around the world. The new slogan, logo and theme song, which were unveiled at a news conference in Taipei, marked the agency’s latest effort to attract 10 million international visitors to Taiwan this year, a goal that it readjusted earlier this year, as China has yet to lift its travel ban to Taiwan. The administration created the “Taiwan: Touch
BOOST TO SPORTS? The Executive Yuan said that the amendment was introduced to attract professionals to Taiwan, and increase the incentives for naturalization The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed on third reading an amendment to the Nationality Act (國籍法) that would reduce the minimum residency period required for highly skilled professionals to apply for naturalization from three to two continuous years, with a minimum of 183 days in Taiwan each year. The 183-day requirement does not apply if an eligible applicant has lived legally in the territory of the Republic of China for more than five continuous years. Taiwan’s professional basketball leagues are expected to benefit from the amendments, which would allow them to recruit more players from overseas. Prior to the passage of the amendment, the