A team of ichthyologists headed by Dr Stuart Welsh from West Virginia University has described a new species of eel-tailed catfish from the Tully River in North Queensland, Australia.

Scientists have long suspected that the North Queensland catfish is special, but detailed examination was required to prove that it is a unique species.

The fish, named Tandanus tropicanus, has a large head with small eyes and thick, fleshy lips on a downturned mouth. Whisker-like barbells surround its lips.

It is a solid, almost-cylindrical fish, with the back half of the body tapering to an eel-like tail. The full description of the fish is published in the journal Copeia.

The genetic analysis was undertaken first, which indicated that the fish is a distinct species. Next, hundreds of measurements of the size and shape of various body parts and sections and comparisons with similar-looking species, verified that it is a separate species.

Growing up to 40 cm in length, Tandanus tropicanus is usually good to eat and is often targeted by fishermen.

“The new species was caught with electrofishing during the study, and many were caught before being identified as a new species,” said Dr Damien Burrows of James Cook University, who is a co-author of the discovery.

He added: “the discovery of the new catfish species demonstrated how much is still unknown about what’s living in developed or populated catchments.”

“There are possibly a hundred new freshwater fish species to be discovered in Northern Australia, including large species that can be fished.”

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Stuart A. Welsh et al. 2014.A New Species of Freshwater Eel-tailed Catfish of the Genus Tandanus (Teleostei: Plotosidae) from the Wet Tropics Region of Eastern Australia. Copeia, vol. 2014, no. 1, pp. 136-142; doi: 10.1643/CI-13-067