New Enigmatic Catfish: Lacantunia enigmatica
Posted by: Loren Coleman on August 3rd, 2007
Lacantunia enigmatica shown above.Photo courtesy of John P. Sullivan.
I get interesting emails. Here’s a good one with a new species discovery to share:
I’m a fan of Cryptomundo and also an ichthyologist. I thought I’d point out an article we just published on an enigmatic catfish from Chiapas, Mexico (named Lacantunia enigmatica, appropriately). From DNA analysis we found that this species is apparently a relict of a once much more widespread clade of catfishes (claroteinea) all of which are today exclusively found African. It’s an amazing disjunct distribution for a freshwater clade. The paper, published in the latest Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia is available [as the following pdf].John P. Sullivan, Ph.D., Department of Ichthyology, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
Very cool. Actually, it looks tasty, like a small channel catfish.
Sooo, what’s the mystery again? There are several creatures of every type that shouldn’t be where they are, by our rules and standards, but that doesn’t mean that at one time maybe the oceans weren’t salty, or that there was a landmass that joined mexico and africa, or maybe some ancient humans brought it over. No one will ever know.