New fish species found in Narathiwat’s peat swamp forest

Bio-diversity in Thailand, especially in the three southernmost provinces, has been reconfirmed with the recent discovery of a new species of fish in Toh Daeng peat swamp forest, Narathiwat, by the royally-sponsored Pikul Thong study centre project in cooperation with Singapore national unversity.

          According to Dr Chavalit Witthayanont, a senior expert of the environment programme of the Mekong River Commission based in Vientiane, Laos, the new fish species was named Weeket Phru or Pseudeutropius indegens in scientific name.  The discovery was published in Zootaxa international magazine late last year.

          The fish is about seven centimeters long.  It has a small head, many small sharp teeth and four pairs of whisker.

          The fish thrives in creeks in the peat swamp forest but it is sometimes found in Pattani and Tapee rivers and also the Kalantan river in Malaysia.  It was occasionally caught with the other fish species which thrive in the peat swamp forest by villagers who didn’t know it is a new species.

          Dr Chavalit said that Weeket Phru fish was often mistaken as Kang Phra Ruang, a fish species in the Pseudeutropius family.

          There used to be about 400,000 rai of peat swamp forests in southern Thailand from Chumporn down to the Deep South.  But due to human encroachment to claim land for agriculture and other purposes, the peat swamp forests have dwindled to about 60,000 rai  mostly in Narathiwat, Surat Thani and Lop Buri.

          Peat swamp forests are important natural sources of fish and other marine lives.  Over 100 fish species and five species of crustacean have been identified in the water sources in the forests.

          In Toh Daeng peat swamp forest, 94 fish species have been identified with three species first found in Thailand, including Soi Nok Khao Phra or Osteochilus spilurus, Pung Kab or Channa melasoma and, recently, Weeket Phru or Pseudeutropius indegens.

          The Pikul Thong student centre project was set up in 1982 with an objective to develop and preserve peat swamp forest in Narathiwat.