Barack Obama has a new address, a fish tank
1 Dec 2012 5:30 AM IST
A newly discovered species of colourful, freshwater fish has been named after US President Barack Obama due to his ‘global vision of environmental protection and conservation’, scientists say. Five new species of freshwater fish called darters have been discovered in river drainages in eastern North America and named after four US presidents and a vice-president, Scientific American Running Ponies blog reported.
Darters are the smallest members of the perch family, and are named after their ability to zip around, under and into rocks and sediment on the beds of clean, fast-moving waterways.
Almost 200 darter species have so far been discovered, most of which live in the rivers and creeks of northern Alabama and eastern Tennessee. They are one of the most diverse groups of native North American fishes.
The first of the new species to be described by the researchers in a paper to be published by the Bulletin of the Alabama Museum of Natural History is the spangled darter (Etheostoma obama), the males of which are resplendent in bright orange and iridescent blue spots, stripes and checks. ‘We chose President Obama for his environmental leadership and because he is one of our first leaders to approach conservation and environmental protection from a more global vision,’ said researcher Steve Layman from Geosyntec Consultants in Georgia.
The other honourees include former US Presidents Teddy Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and vice-president Al Gore.
Darters are the smallest members of the perch family, and are named after their ability to zip around, under and into rocks and sediment on the beds of clean, fast-moving waterways.
Almost 200 darter species have so far been discovered, most of which live in the rivers and creeks of northern Alabama and eastern Tennessee. They are one of the most diverse groups of native North American fishes.
The first of the new species to be described by the researchers in a paper to be published by the Bulletin of the Alabama Museum of Natural History is the spangled darter (Etheostoma obama), the males of which are resplendent in bright orange and iridescent blue spots, stripes and checks. ‘We chose President Obama for his environmental leadership and because he is one of our first leaders to approach conservation and environmental protection from a more global vision,’ said researcher Steve Layman from Geosyntec Consultants in Georgia.
The other honourees include former US Presidents Teddy Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and vice-president Al Gore.
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