‘Crow of the Cauvery’: How a fisherman’s ‘ordinary catch’ led to the discovery of a new species
Last year, the scientists had identified two related species. Another member of the same group, Labeo rohita or rohu, is widely consumed across the Indian subcontinent.
National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources researchers formally described the species as Labeo kaage. (Special Arrangement) What appeared to be an ordinary catch for a fisherman in Karnataka’s Mandya district in 2019 has now been identified as a new fish species, highlighting the rich biodiversity of the Cauvery River system.
The fish, locally known as “kaage meenu” or crow fish, was caught near the Shivanasamudra Dam. For local fisherfolk, the brown fish, which is a little under a foot long and weighs about a kilogram, was familiar.
But for scientists from the National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources in Kochi, it turned out to be a species previously unknown to science.
In April 2026, researchers Rahul G Kumar, Charan Ravi, N P Krishnaprasoon and V S Basheer formally described the species as Labeo kaage in a research paper after detailed analysis of its physical features and DNA.
Last year, the scientists had identified two related species — Labeo uru and Labeo chekida. Another member of the same group, Labeo rohita or rohu, is widely consumed across the Indian subcontinent.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Ravi said, “We have a project for the exploration of the River Cauvery starting from the year 2016. We started in Tamil Nadu and came to Karnataka in 2019. At the time we got the specimen, which was later described as Labeo kaage.”
Researchers said local fishermen already recognised the fish as distinct from similar species. However, the scientific challenge was to establish that it was not merely a variant of Labeo nigrescens.
However, it seems that these similar fish may have different habitats as negrescens has been found as far afield as the Chalakudi and the Periyar river, while kaage seems to be native to the upper Cauvery River system.
Karnataka’s fisherfolk also played an important role in the discovery. Researchers showed photographs of the newly identified fish to local fishermen across several regions to check whether they recognised it. One fisherman in Kodagu district told the team that the fish builds small nests using gravel — a behaviour not seen in its related species.
“Generally, fish of this genus are shoalers and not solitary. So there may be something different – for which further studies will be required,” Ravi said.
As much of a breakthrough as the discovery of these new fish species is, there are still many questions that scientists are working on. Ravi said the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) conservation status of these fish is unknown because they were recently discovered. Even the size of the fish may be a topic of further discovery, as only eight specimens were found between 2019 and 2022.
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