Quick answer: Exostoma nasibarbatum is a newly described hill-stream catfish from Chandel district in Manipur, found in a stream of the Chindwin river system near the Myanmar border. The Assam Tribune reported the discovery on 1 November 2026. It was published in the Journal of Natural History by researchers from Dhanamanjuri University.
Why Exostoma nasibarbatum is in the news
A study in the Journal of Natural History has described a new species of glyptosternine catfish from Manipur, as the Assam Tribune reported from Imphal on 1 November 2026. The team was led by Dr Bungdon Shangningam, Assistant Professor in the Department of Zoology at Dhanamanjuri University, and included PhD scholar Paya Torisha Anal. They collected the specimens during a fish survey of the Bupal stream, which feeds the Dujang River, part of the Chindwin system on the India–Myanmar border.
A detailed study of the fishes’ body features showed they did not match any known species. Dr Shangningam said this was the second fish species described from the Chakpi area of Chandel district. He also said such small hill-stream catfishes are rarely found outside the remote reaches of the Dujang.
Key facts about Exostoma nasibarbatum
- Group: a glyptosternine catfish of the genus Exostoma, family Sisoridae.
- Where found: Bupal stream → Dujang River → Chindwin basin, Chandel district, Manipur.
- Habitat: fast, turbulent hill streams with boulders and rocky beds.
- Why the name: “nasibarbatum” joins two Latin words, nasus (nose) and barba (beard). It points to the fish’s long nasal barbel, a whisker-like sense organ near the nostril that reaches past the back edge of the eye.
- Genus size: the study counts 23 valid Exostoma species across South and Southeast Asia. Seven of them are from the Chindwin–Irrawaddy drainage.
- Discoverer’s record: Dr Shangningam, formerly a scientist with the Union Environment Ministry and a postdoctoral fellow at the Zoological Survey of India, has described 39 new fish species from India and Myanmar since 2012, most of them catfishes.
How the fish is built for torrents
Hill-stream catfishes live where the current would sweep most fish away. Exostoma nasibarbatum handles this with a set of physical adaptations, listed below.
| Body feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Strongly flattened head and body | Lets the fish lie low against rocks so the water flows over it |
| Enlarged paired fins with adhesive striae (ridges) | Help the fish grip stones like suction pads |
| Flattened maxillary barbels | Add extra grip on the rocky bed |
| Long nasal barbel | Works as a touch sensor in fast, murky water. This is the feature behind the name. |
The genus name itself says something about these fish. Exostoma comes from the Greek exos (outside) and stoma (mouth). The same team of Shangningam and Kosygin described an earlier relative, Exostoma dujangense, in 2020 in the journal Copeia. Its type locality was also the Dujang stream near Chakpi in Chandel district. So this one small catchment has now produced two Exostoma species.
Why the Chindwin basin matters
The Dujang stream flows into the Chakpi River in Chandel, and these waters belong to the Chindwin, which is part of the larger Chindwin–Irrawaddy drainage shared with Myanmar. So Manipur’s hill streams are part of a river system that most of India does not drain into. The researchers say the streams of the upper Chindwin basin in Manipur are remote and hard to reach, which may have allowed new species to keep evolving there. They have called for more surveys in such under-explored areas, which may hold other undescribed aquatic species.
Exam angle: how NDA, CDS and CAPF can ask this
- “New species discovered in” questions are frequent in current affairs sections. Remember the state (Manipur), the river system (Chindwin) and the animal group (catfish).
- Learn the river systems of the North-East, including the Chindwin–Irrawaddy drainage that parts of Manipur feed into. This links to India–Myanmar border geography, which matters for Army and Assam Rifles aspirants.
- Adaptations of animals to fast-flowing water (flattened body, adhesive organs) are a common topic in general science questions.
Practice MCQs
Q1. The newly described catfish Exostoma nasibarbatum was found in which Indian state?
(a) Mizoram (b) Nagaland (c) Manipur (d) Arunachal Pradesh
Answer: (c) — It was collected from the Bupal stream in Chandel district, Manipur.
Q2. The stream where the species was found belongs to which river system?
(a) Barak (b) Chindwin (c) Brahmaputra (d) Teesta
Answer: (b) — The Bupal stream feeds the Dujang River in the Chindwin system.
Q3. The species name “nasibarbatum” refers to:
(a) A spotted tail (b) A long nasal barbel (c) A forked dorsal fin (d) Its blind eyes
Answer: (b) — From Latin nasus (nose) and barba (beard).
Q4. Which feature helps hill-stream catfishes such as Exostoma cling to rocks?
(a) Swim bladder enlargement (b) Adhesive striae on paired fins (c) Electric organs (d) Air-breathing organs
Answer: (b) — Ridged, sucker-like fins help the fish grip stones in fast water.
Frequently asked questions
What is Exostoma nasibarbatum?
It is a new species of hill-stream (glyptosternine) catfish of the family Sisoridae. It was described from Manipur in a study published in the Journal of Natural History.
Where was Exostoma nasibarbatum discovered?
In the Bupal stream, a tributary of the Dujang River in the Chindwin system, in Chandel district of Manipur near the Myanmar border.
Who discovered the new catfish?
A team led by Dr Bungdon Shangningam of Dhanamanjuri University’s Zoology Department, with PhD scholar Paya Torisha Anal.
How many Exostoma species are known?
The study counts 23 valid species in the genus. Seven of them are from the Chindwin–Irrawaddy drainage.
What does the name mean?
It joins the Latin words nasus (nose) and barba (beard), after the fish’s long nasal barbel.
Also read on NCA: Gangetic river dolphin | Sankosh River | Monthly defence current affairs | NDA coaching in Chandigarh
Sources: The Assam Tribune, PlanetCatfish: Exostoma dujangense (Copeia 2020). Facts as reported up to 3 November 2026.
Featured image background (representative): Francis Day / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
