New fish species discovered in Vietnam
HANOI, Aug 29, 2012 (AFP) – A new species of fish with a penis on its head has been identified in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, researchers said on Wednesday.
Phallostethus cuulong is the newest member of the Phallostethidae family — small fish found in Southeast Asian waters that are distinguished primarily by the positioning of the male sexual organ.
A preserved specimen of Phallostethus cuulong, a 24.2 mm male showing dorsal (A), lateral (B) and ventral (C) views in Soc Trang Province. Photo courtesy: AFP PHOTO / Koichi Shibukawa, Tran Dac Dinh and Tran Xuan Loi
Male phallostethids have a copulatory organ, termed the priapium, under the throat for holding or clasping onto females and fertilising their eggs internally, according to conservationists.
Freshly-collected specimens of Phallostethus cuulong, a 22.5 mm male (top) in Tra Vinh Province and a 23.7 mm female (below) in Soc Trang Province. Photo courtesy: AFP PHOTO / Koichi Shibukawa, Tran Dac Dinh and Tran Xuan Loi
“We have scientifically identified a new penis-head fish in Vietnam,” researcher Tran Dac Dinh from Can Tho University told AFP.
The fish was known to Vietnamese people in the Mekong Delta but had not been described scientifically before a team identified the species last year, he said.