Hyderabad: A new species of fish has been found in the Godavari river basin in Telangana state. The fish, christened Rita bakalu, was found first at Bejjur in the Pranahita river and Dowleswaram according to the Lucknow-based National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources.

A team of scientists from the bureau, including Mr K.K. Lal and Mr A.K. Dwivedi, has published a paper in Hydro-biologia, an international journal of aquatic sciences reporting the find.

According to Ms Shilpi Sharma, a scientist with the Telangana State Biodiversity Board, the report concluded that the Godavari harboured different species of Rita including Rita bakalu, which is new to science.

The researchers said the Rita bakalu was different from its congeners by a combination of characters regarding eye diameter, caudal fin rays, teeth in its upper jaw and other aspects.

Scientists established the genetic differences from other species by analysing DNA sequences. This is the sixth species of the Rita genus, the report said.