Guwahati, Sept. 10 -- Scientists have recorded a rare high-altitude Himalayan fish, Schizopygopsis waddellii (Regan, 1908), in India for the first time, after collecting specimens from a natural lake in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

Researchers from the ICAR-Central Institute of Coldwater Fisheries Research (ICAR-CICFR), Bhimtal, Uttarakhand, collected specimens of the species in July 2026 from a high-altitude lake located at around 12,800 feet above sea level.

The discovery adds a new species record to India's freshwater fish diversity and significantly extends the known geographical range of Schizopygopsis waddellii. The species was previously known from high-altitude freshwater systems of the Tibetan and China Plateau, with i...