![]() ![]() “They started as a model for neuroscientists because they have very simple bodies, display very complex behaviors, and give researchers the ability to view the brain in situ and make links between brain activity and behavior, which is not easy to do,” he says. It is too early to know what breakthroughs neuroscientists will make by studying the fish, but Conway cites incredible potential for understanding how the brain works in Danionella and in other adult vertebrates, including humans. Scientists’ ability to view the brain and pinpoint activity related to communication and behavior will guide their understanding of brain circuitry and how these functions relate to the fish’s activity. Previous research has revealed complex behaviors involving the production of sound, which is extremely useful to neuroscientists interested in learning more about brain activity and function.īeyond visual communication, Danionella cerebrum males communicate by making a drumming sound, Conway says. Scientists have learned much more about human development and physiology and how the body’s intricacies function by studying model species like mice and the zebra fish.ĭanionella cerebrum will likely play a similar role, Conway says. The importance of studying Danionella cerebrum to humans could be significant, Conway says. The introduction of a new name is important because it differentiates the species of Danionella for the purpose of scientific record keeping, in the past and in the future. But there are lots of internal details that reveal they are indeed different species, which is corroborated by differences in DNA sequences.” Drumming communication “They are almost identical, even under the microscope. As a result, the fish that researchers believed to be Danionella transludica have now been named Danionella cerebrum, as a nod to their exposed brains and importance to neuroscience.ĭanionella cerebrum is the fifth fish species in the genus to be discovered so far.ĭespite the physical similarities that delayed the discovery, Danionella cerebrum and Danionella translucida are only distant relatives within the genus-more distant than the team of international researchers expected.īy studying DNA sequences, the team was able to show that the two almost identical looking species have been separate for around 15 million years and exhibit large genetic differences, Conway says. Researchers assumed for years they were looking at Danionella translucida, named for its translucent body, which was identified in the 1980s.Ĭonway says both fish look very similar, but Ralf Britz, head of ichthyology at the Senckenberg Natural History Collections in Dresden, Germany, noticed a few characteristics that were distinct from other Danionella on record. ![]() (Credit: Ralf Britz) Distant relativesĭanionella fish are just a little longer than a fingernail and come from Myanmar and northeastern India. “It was a surprise find, but one that is important for science and to give this tiny fish the credit it deserves.” The Danionella cerebrum’s translucent body is clear, and its central nervous system is stained to allow better viewing for researchers. “They are a very important little fish in terms of potential scientific breakthrough,” says Kevin Conway, associate professor in the ecology and conservation biology department and curator of fishes at the Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University. But it’s rare for an unidentified and unnamed fish to have played an important role in scientific research for several years before being officially identified and named.ĭanionella cerebrum, the newly described species, has an open skull roof and small brain that is easily studied in situ at the cellular level under a microscope. Some turn up in unlikely places, and others display unusual characteristics and behaviors. ![]() Scientists identify and name new fish species around the globe practically every week. A fish that has been swimming in the tanks of neuroscientists for years has just been classified as a brand new species. ![]()
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