Taiwanese researchers have reported the discovery of a new fish species, naming it Lentipes ptasan after the extinct practice of facial tattooing among Taiwanese indigenous peoples.
National Sun Yat-sen University doctoral student Jhuang Wei-cheng (莊維誠) said on Friday that he and the team first found the species in 2019 while visiting the southern part of Mindanao Island in the Philippines.
He said that the males of the species had two prominent, deeply colored grooves on their faces, closely resembling the facial tattoos of Taiwanese indigenous peoples.
Photo: Hsu Li-chuan, Taipei Times
The fish has several male-specific characteristics, including an upper lip protruding beyond the snout, fewer premaxillary tricuspid teeth, two black lines running from the front of the eye through the nostrils to the tip of the snout, a wide brown longitudinal band at the base of the anal fin, and the distinctive nuptial coloration featuring a brown vertical band extending from back to belly on the middle of the body.
Female Lentipes ptasan exhibit orange-reddish patches near their cloaca, Chuang said.
The team used the word ptasan as a nod towards the dual symbolism of face tattoos, which used to be practiced by Taiwanese indigenous people and is still practiced among indigenous populations in the Philippines, as well as the geographical spread of the fish, as it lives in Taiwan and the Philippines, he said.
National Sun Yat-sen University distinguished professor Liao Te-yu (廖德裕) said the species is known from the type locality, Shimen Stream, Yilan, Taiwan, and Bocay-el Falls, in the Philippines.
The discovery of Lentipes ptasan brings the number of known Lentipes species in Taiwan to seven, he said.
The exterior appearance of Lentipes ptasan is very similar to that of Lentipes armatus, a conserved species in Taiwan, Liao said
However, he added that the team had finally determined it was a new species distinct from Lentipes armatus.
The discovery was submitted to the Journal of Fish Biology and was first published on Nov. 21, last year, with Jhuang as the first author, and Cleto L. Nanola Jr., Li Xiao Fei, and Liao cited as co-authors.
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
ISOLATION: The outposts would serve as support and backup bases, forcing US forces to either face China head-on or reroute, increasing travel time and operational costs China’s outposts in the South China Sea could be used to delay and constrain foreign forces during a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, giving Beijing a critical window to carry out amphibious landing and blockade operations, a report said. The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) forward operating bases on islands and reclaimed features in the South China Sea could delay foreign forces long enough for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to secure a key 48-to-72-hour window in the Taiwan Strait, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council found. The report, conducted by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, examined
RSS