Environment News

Freshwater fish - Labeo kaage

May 20 , 2026 15 hrs 0 min 105 0

Scientists from Indian Council of Agricultural Research - National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBFGR) discovered a new freshwater fish species named Labeo kaage in the Cauvery River basin of Karnataka.
The fish was found in the Shivanasamudra stretch of the Cauvery River in Mandya district.
The name “kaage” comes from the Kannada word for crow, referring to the fish’s dark body colour.
Locally, the fish is called “kaage meenu” and belongs to the dark-coloured Labeo species found in the Western Ghats.
Scientists also discovered Labeo chekida and Labeo uru in Kerala in 2025.
The study clarified the identity of Labeo nigrescens, also called the “Dark Labeo”, first described in 1870.