‘Extinct’ fish rediscovery in Madagascar

This video from London, England says about itself:

19 Feb 2012

A short clip from a tank in the Aquarium at the ZSL London Zoo. The tank contains the following Madagascar cichlids: Pinstripe Menarambo (Paretroplus menarambo), Kotsovato (Paretroplus kieneri), Mangarahara Cichlid (Ptychochromis insolitus) and Damba Mipentina (Paretroplus maculatus).

From Wildlife Extra:

Worldwide appeal finds last remaining Madagascan fish

ZSL London Zoo’s international campaign finds lost Mangarahara cichlids in the wild

December 2013: Aquarists at ZSL London Zoo are celebrating the success of a worldwide appeal to find a female mate for a critically-endangered fish species – after a small population was found in remote Madagascar.

The Mangarahara cichlid (Ptychochromis insolitus) was believed to be lost in the wild due to intense deforestation and river diversions created for rice farming and agriculture drying up its native habitat of the Mangarahara River in Madagascar, and two of the last known individuals – both male – were residing in ZSL London Zoo’s aquarium.

After launching a desperate appeal in May 2013, hundreds of private aquarium owners, fish collectors and scientists got in touch with the zoo’s aquarium curator, Brian Zimmerman, to offer advice, support and suggestions – including a farm and business owner in Madagascar, who recognised the fish as one he’d seen in a secluded north-Madagascan town. An exploratory expedition was arranged with support from HM Ambassador in the British Embassy of Madagascar, so that, along with aquarists from Toronto Zoo in Canada, Zimmerman and Kienan Parbles from ZSL London Zoo could head off to Madagascar to search for the Mangarahara cichlid.

With help from local villagers, areas of a now-disconnected tributary from the Mangarahara River were cordoned off using nets to mark the search areas. Initially finding only other native species, the team were ecstatic when they finally found the first one of the last remaining Mangarahara cichlids in existence. Brian Zimmerman said: “We weren’t holding out much hope of finding any fish in the wild, as so much of the Mangarahara River now resembles the desert because of deforestation and intensive agricultural use.

“These cichlids have shown remarkable survival skills. We’re now doing all we can to protect these remaining fish.” As part of ZSL London Zoo’s Fish Net conservation project, which focuses on protecting freshwater species, Zimmerman and the team moved 18 of the Mangarahara cichlids to a private aquaculture facility in Madagascar, where they will receive specialist care while conservation plans are made to bring the species back from the brink of extinction.

8 Species We Thought Were Extinct But Are Actually Still Alive: here.

Related articles

• Fish on brink of extinction gets boost thanks to zoo (grindtv.com)
• Fish Found: The Greatest Conservation Success Story of 2013? (blogs.scientificamerican.com)
• Not-So-Good Looking Fish Finally Finds Sweetheart, Readies for a Date (news.softpedia.com)
• New Hope for an Endangered Fish in Madagascar (news.sciencemag.org)
• A Christmas of the Coastal Kind (newswatch.nationalgeographic.com)
• 91 New Species Discovered in 2013 by Calif. Academy Of Sciences (naturalhistorywanderings.com)