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Rare, 'otherworldly' cave fish found with the help of SA Zoo conservation biologists

Only 2 preserved fish exist in museum collections around world

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SAN ANTONIO – More information is being gathered on a fish described as extremely rare and elusive after an international team of scientists, including conservation biologists from the San Antonio Zoo, discovered the cavefish in South China earlier this month.

Researchers found the Humpback Golden Line Barbel, formally known as sinocyclocheilus cyphotergous, while exploring rivers in Guizhou, China.

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The international team is comprised of biologists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, the University of Alabama-Huntsville, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Louisiana State University and the San Antonio Zoo.

Danté Fenolio, vice president of conservation and research for the San Antonio Zoo, and Andy Gluesenkamp, director of conservation, are members of the international team.

Fenolio said, “the San Antonio Zoo is dedicated to securing a future for wildlife," that mission includes wildlife around the world. The biologist also said the specimen in question is in need of conservation, as it is regarded as one of the rarest freshwater fish in the world. 

Only two preserved specimens exist in museum collections worldwide, a release said.

When the team concludes its studies, Fenolio said he will make stops at other zoos in China to forge relationships on behalf of the San Antonio Zoo before returning to San Antonio.

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